MANAGING a football team is just how Matthew Bates thought it would be, and now the former Middlesbrough defender wants to make sure he makes a successful career out of it.

Bates doesn’t turn 32 until December and is already cutting his teeth into the management game - and doesn’t appear to be doing a bad job either.

He has started his first full season in charge, after keeping Pools in the National League as caretaker boss towards the end of last season, by leading his team to within six points of top spot and they have lost one of their last 11 games.

Hartlepool’s focus is on winning more matches at home, starting with today’s visit of Boreham Wood to Victoria Park, and if he doesn’t get the result he wants then those closest to him at home should keep out of his way when the Sunday roast is served.

Bates said: “I am not great company to be around after a defeat, I think managers take it harder than players. A player has his own performance to think about, a manager has 11 or 14 players to think about. It’s a new balance to get used to. I am enjoying it. It’s about getting on with it and thankfully I haven’t had too many defeats this season so far.

“You are always thinking about it. Constantly. You wake up at night thinking about things. It’s enjoyable. You are not thinking about something you don’t enjoy. You have opinions in your head and it’s enjoyable thoughts really.

“A manager always says it’s a 24 hour, round the clock job, and it is. You might be at home having a meal with family on a Sunday or with friends, and you are distant because you are thinking about things. That’s part of it.

“You do have to have down time as well. I work late after training, I try to do my things there rather than take it home. It’s a lot different to being a player, it’s not a chore. I enjoy it. This is what I want to do and I see this as the start of my career.”

Bates, despite his young age, is no longer registered as a player and, after an injury-hit career that spanned numerous clubs after helping Middlesbrough to FA Youth Cup glory in 2004, he would not have expected to have taken the managerial step as early as he has.

However, having successfully embraced the opportunity he was given at the back end of last season, during troubled times at Hartlepool, he is learning by the day and very little has surprised him so far.

“It’s just how I thought it would be, hard,” said Bates. “I have always tried to be honest and I think that’s all you can be. I need to use what I have learned over the years, I have to try to get that message out to the players.

“I have to be honest with myself, work hard, take it into training and games. I don’t want to over complicate things, I am relaxed in doing that. The problems come if you are doing things you are not comfortable with. I do what I feel I am good at.

“It’s just I have always been really, hard-working, honest, and that’s what I want to be like in management. There’s no point saying one thing and doing something else because then you lose the dressing room straight away. You need to gain respect.”

And the players at Hartlepool are enjoying working under him, as well as first team coach Ged McNamee and goalkeeper coach Ross Turnbull. The challenge they face is to get Hartlepool scoring more in the weeks ahead to boost the push for promotion.

Liam Noble has six, Niko Muir has four and Nicky Featherstone has three; so those three make up the majority of the 16 goals netted by Hartlepool in the 14 games so far.

Bates said: “I don’t think our goals have been that much of a problem. Where are we 8th … I don’t think the teams around us have scored that many more than us. The main problem is when we don’t create chances and we are creating chances.

“We might not have scored that many but defensively our record has been fairly good so credit goes to them to keep us in games too. It’s not just about the attackers scoring, it’s about keeping them out as well.

“I would like to score two or three in games because then you can relax on the bench, the players can go through the motions and rest mentally for the next game. It’s not ideal to be scraping through games, we have to keep going and do what we are doing, those goals will come.

“It goes without saying, the fans will tell you we are creating more than we used to in previous years. Scott Loach is saying he is not having as many saves to make. On average he isn’t making as many saves as he was last season.

“It’s a good combination if you can score though and keep them out. That’s what we will be looking to improve on, starting with Boreham Wood.”