WITH 14 goals to his name this season, Joel Porter could soon be heading back to Australia.

Out of contract this summer, the Hartlepool United striker is a wanted man back home.

Both Adelaide and Perth had made their intentions known, but Pool fans don't have to fret.

Porter, who will be in tandem with Adam Boyd as Pool meet Peterborough at Victoria Park tonight, is ready to extend his stay at Victoria Park and his return home could be to resurrect his international career.

There are 124 Aussies playing abroad - and none have as many goals this season as Porter.

And, with four goals in five appearances for the Socceroos to his name, Porter could be set for an international return.

Bristol City's former Middlesbrough midfielder Luke Wilkshire is a regular in the Aussie side and he may be joined by Porter for September's World Cup play-off with the Solomon Islands.

Porter, on target in Saturday's 3-0 win over Swindon, wants to stay at Pool. The chance to return Down Under has gone after the Australian transfer window closed in March and doesn't reopen until 2006.

"There are decisions to be made in the summer,'' he said. "I've got my family to think about and I have to do what is best for them as well.

"If things work out here in Hartlepool, then I am more than happy to stay here because I am enjoying myself and playing well.''

A win for Pool tonight would ping them to the top of the clubs bunching up for the play-off run-in. With Sheffield Wednesday without a win in four, Pool could move above The Owls into fifth place on 68 points - they meet at Victoria Park a week on Friday.

A win tonight would put Pool five points ahead of Brentford, the team in seventh spot.

"Saturday was just what we needed,'' said Porter. "We haven't won here for a little while, which is very unlike us.

"Our normal home record is very good. Early on in the year we were unbeaten for a long, long time. We haven't been playing badly, but things just hadn't been going our way.

"Swindon will have looked at us and believed they had a big chance of closing the gap to just two points. We knew it was going to be a tough game.

"Tuesday is against a team fighting at the bottom end of the table, so it will be a battle again, but I think if we can play our game like we did against Swindon we can see them off.''

Porter took his time to adapt to the rigours of English football and this season has seen his partnership with Boyd flourish. The pair have 37 goals between them.

On Saturday, Porter's goal was created by Boyd, while the Aussie created two more for Thomas Butler and Ritchie Humphreys.

He said: "Looking at this season, I've played 48 games - you look back and can't remember a lot of them! First game was Bradford and it seems a long, long time ago.

"Some of the games, you just can't remember them.

"We've six games left and we've still everything to play for, so we will just give it our best shot.''

Pool have no fresh injury worries, while Peterborough, who could be relegated at the weekend, will be without Curtis Woodhouse with a foot injury.

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