TO do it once could be considered lucky, twice is perhaps fortunate, but the third time left Chris Westwood feeling a tad embarrassed.

In the space of three home games on three successive Saturdays, the Hartlepool United defender has scored five times, doubling his career total and becoming Pool's third highest scorer of the season in the process.

His two-goal salvo meant Pool beat Stockport and moved back into ninth spot. If, as they could easily have, won at Walsall last week Neale Cooper's side would have been in fourth place.

Maybe it's time to start playing Westwood up front to try and cure the away day ills.

"When I went in the dressing room after the game and all the lads were congratulating me and asking what's going on, I did feel embarrassed,'' he admitted.

"I scored two last week and thought that's it - to get another two is unbelieveable.

"I don't think the novelty is ever going to wear off to be honest, but I have to try and sort out my celebrations. I keep saying I'll try and arrange one, but I'm thinking that I've scored my goals for the season and that's it.

"To be fair, I've showed a striker's instinct haven't I? Willo (Eifion Williams) was about to score, but I got in there and buried it.

"But seriously, it's great to get two goals that help us to another win, that's the important thing.

"As long as we keep winning our home games and then start to win away from home and pick up that form, things look good.''

After 21 games of last season, Pool had just lost 4-1 at QPR and were one place worse off, in tenth spot.

A top-six finish is a real possibility again, as long as the away form is sorted out. From their 32 points this season, 29 have come at home.

"Obviously, it's this form at home which is keeping us up where we are,'' added Westwood. "We played our socks off at Walsall on Tuesday and came away with nothing, which was hard to take.

"Maybe we need to go and play rubbish somewhere to get a result and end the run.

"I think that we have proved that by playing well, you are not always going to win games. Maybe a scrappy one-nil win away would do - with me scoring!

"Obviously, people might think that losing away from home puts pressure on our home form, but I think that when we go into home games we have a certain confidence about the way we are going to play which we had when we went away from home last year.

"If we can turn it around and keep our home form up, who knows what might happen.''

Pool managed to go a goal down, during a somewhat tepid first-half. Tony Sweeney was denied by a goalline clearance and Joel Porter saw Neil Cutler claw out his shot after a turn of pace took him miles away from the defence.

Hugh Robertson got his feet in a tangle on his first game back from injury and, two passes later, Jon Daly fired low past Dimi Konstantopoulos.

But Robertson's forte is set-pieces and it took him all of 60 seconds to redeem himself.

His cross from a short corner curled across the six yard box and fox in the box Westwood turned it across the line.

Pool could have been behind in first-half injury time when defender Danny Griffin caught the defence napping and volleyed against the far post.

But Pool don't lose at home and Gavin Strachan's free-kick was nodded on by Sweeney and, with Eifion Williams about to net, in came Westwood to bustle his team-mate out of the way and carry on his scoring run.

It took Robertson 55 minutes before he broke out of defence and tore down the let flank and, when he did, it was to great affect.

From his run and cross, Porter fired in the goal his performance deserved.

Minutes later, Robertson proved he really was back.

A short corner was smacked at goal from 30 yards, midfielder Jim Gannon blocked it, but spent the next five minutes walking about like JohnWayne for his troubles. At 3-1 down, it would have been far less painful for Stockport's skipper to see it smash into the net.

Pool could have had a penalty as a Stockport arm stopped a Pool opening. If they had, the plan was already in place.

Who better than in-form Westwood to take in and complete the unthinkable?

"Someone said to me 'when are you going to get a hat-trick then?','' revealed Westwood. "So the pressure is on me now, not just to score one, but three.

"We could have had a penalty and if we did, I was on it. I was going to do a (Mateja) Kezman.

"Did you see him last week? He hadn't scored in the Premiership, pressure on, and he chips a penalty like that. Surely I've got the right to do that.''

Result: Hartlepool United 3 Stockport County 1

Read more about Hartlepool here.