A DAY of hard graft on Friday and 24 hours later Hartlepool United reaped the rewards.

Boss Mike Newell, supporters, staff and youth teamers dug in to clear the Victoria Park pitch of snow to ensure Pool's game with Torquay went ahead

And how they benefited.

By the time the Pool players were heading away from Victoria Park with victory number 19 of the season and three more points in the bag, Rushden & Diamonds were ready to face Swansea at 5.35pm knowing they were a massive nine points behind the runaway leaders.

Rushden managed just a point so Pool now have their biggest advantage of the season at the top, a boon for their most profitable run of results of the best campaign in history.

And if that's the benefits of making a massive effort to ensure a game goes ahead in adverse conditions, perhaps other clubs with far more resources than Pool should take note.

Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, Newell admitted, must have been looking on from the director's box as a frustrated figure, watching football take place in fine conditions, while a few miles down the road all was quiet down by the Riverside.

"I think he'll have enjoyed it,'' said Newell of his former Blackburn strike partner.

"He's frustrated because their game was called off on Friday and he can't believe it. It will have annoyed him even more when he sees our pitch and the game going ahead.

"It was a fantastic effort to clear the pitch. To be honest, I was only out there for an hour or so, but there's lads there - youth team lads, groundstaff, The Mayor and supporters - we've got them to thank.

"It would have been the most frustrating thing ever to get the game going ahead after all the effort and then waste it. This shows how much it means to them all."

As Rushden digested their pre-match meal, Pool were one-down. By the time they kicked-off news of Pool's result must have left a sour tasate and had a demoralising affect.

Looking down from the top and beyond the eight-point fall to second place, it's another nine points from Rushden to third placed Oxford and from then on it's a free for all.

Just six points separate third and 12th placed Lincoln. It's so tight that each of those teams will spend the rest of the season taking points off each other. The chasing group must have all but given up hope of catching Pool now.

Newell won't entertain any talk of glory, instead referring the old adage of taking each game as it comes.

Pool made hard work of the win, only showing anything like their normal form in the final half hour - but championship winning teams are those who are capable of winning games while playing below par.

Newell is sure to earn his first managerial gong today when he is named manager of the month for January.

After a haul of 16 points from 18 in the first month of 2003, club president Peter Mandelson - who presented Chris Turner with the award last time the honour came to Pool almost two years ago - should be asking questions in Parliament if Newell doesn't get it this time around.

He's won seven games and drawn two from 12 since taking over and, ever the understater, he admitted: "It's going alright for me. The lads have done everything that's been asked of them. We've gone seven games unbeaten and won six of them and at times we've looked like a really good side.

"At other times we've ground out a result and dug in and I couldn't ask any more of them at all."

On Saturday they showed both sides of the coin, digging in when they had to in the first-half before looking a really good side in the second.

"Torquay are a decent footballing side,'' he added. "It was hard. I don't know what people expect. Do they think we can play teams off the park every week?

"You have to earn the right to play and we didn't match them in the first-half. They outpassed us and outplayed us. We asked for more and told them to have a little bit of belief.

"But then they scored again - they've got about 50 now and you can see why. Teams are going to be difficult when they come here and make it hard for us."

Pool fell behind early on when Jason Fowler chipped over the Pool rearguard and David Graham strolled on to shoot past Anthony Williams.

Stung into life and Ritchie Humphreys fired a 20-yard volley which had Kevin Dearden - an Easter egg on legs according to Pool striker turned radio commentator Joe Allon - at full stretch to tip over.

Pool were thankful, in a lethargic first-half, to Mark Robinson who headed off the line when David Woozley looked set to make it two.

But just as the Pool fans started singing for Gordon Watson, the best striker in the Third Division who was sat watching from the same directors box as the best striker in the Premiership, they levelled as Darrell Clarke, turned in a ball from Marcus Richardson.

It wasn't long before Torquay went back in front.

Martin Gritton looked suspiciously offside as he ran behind the defence and rounded keeper Williams. After conceding just two goals in 540 minutes, they had now let in two in 51. Crisis time at Victoria Park!

But good teams don't lie down. Clarke, the midfielder who found goals so hard to come by before Christmas, doubled his seasonal tally firing in a cross from teenage midfielder Tony Sweeney.

And then Marcus Richardson, who pegged back Pool's single goal lead at Plainmoor when he played for Torquay in the earlier fixture this season, netted.

Humphreys sprayed a crossfield ball, 70-yards inch perfect to Clarke. He crossed from the right and Richardson stretched like an elastic band to bravely head in from all of two yards.

Result: Hartlepool United 3 Torquay United 2.

Read more about Hartlepool here.