CRAIG HIGNETT has been of the belief that his Hartlepool United side will only get better.

As time in the National League passes, ten games in now, they have improved on their opening couple of games.

It’s five unbeaten for Pools after they drew with Woking, the early season table-toppers.

They went into the game on the back of three successive wins, it should really have been four.

Woking felt aggrieved by an errant offside flag to deny them a first-half goal, and were furious at the award of a penalty for Pools in first-half injury time.

Those decisions – and the visitors’ late goal – should have been irrelevant, such was Pools dominance in terms of clear chances.

Hignett feels his attacking output will improve when Luke Molyneux is back fit. But that will still be a while yet and they can’t rely on either him or Luke Williams to be fit to pull the team up.

A bit of composure in front of goal wouldn’t go amiss.

Hignett the player knew were the back of the net was, be it as an out and out striker or from making runs from deep. He scored 170 times in his career.

So, when he sees chances squandered in a game, he is in a strong position to pass on advice and critique to his players.

Pools had 14 shots to Woking’s five and only converted a penalty.

“Woking could have been done seven – they can moan about the penalty and offside goal that wasn’t, but look at the things which have gone against us,’’ said the manager. “When they look back they will see they got away with it.

“The chances we created were gilt-edged. Woking work hard, get in the box but we had more quality.

“We should have won it comfortably, with four one on ones. Gime, Ryan have ran away from them all night, Kitch, Kioso, Kennedy, all have had chances after chances.

“The one criticism is we have to be ruthless – we can’t make that many and only score one.

“When we are missing chances and our own player stops it on the like then you are out of luck.

“Up top we have so much pace between the pair of them and when they got turned and ran at them we caused problems.’’

Toure has five to his name this season and could have had more on Saturday evening. Playing up top, his pace and power is enough to create openings for himself.

Once drive into the box and drag back sent two centre-halves sliding into the Rink End for a pie and a pint such was his dominance.

But when through on goal in the second half, he put his finish too close to keeper Craig Ross, one of a number of saves the visiting stopper had to make on a busy evening.

Hignett added: “Gime could have had a hat-trick, needs to be more clinical, but I’d be more worried if we didn’t have that many chances.

“Gime is not the cleanest striker of a ball, sometimes you don’t know what he’s going to do and he has to work hard and be focused on what he does. But remember there’s more than one finish: dink it, blast it, curl it, he has to get the whole range.

“Maybe slow his thought process down, he’s 100 miles an hour so settle down. Run through hand shoot, run through and shoot, but dummy the keeper and be different.

“We had two one v ones on Tuesday, four or five this time and we open teams up. They have to attack us at some point, we get camped in and have good footballers to come out, and there’s loads of ways to come out and attack teams.’’

After Liam Noble’s well-struck penalty gave Pools the lead, the second-half was set up for more from the home side.

They did drop a bit deeper, the Cards did have a bit more possession, but Pools should have put them out of sight.

The visitors play up with the attitude that they are a part-time club and everyone is against them, not getting the credit they deserve.

Alan Dowson, the Gateshead-born manager, said before the game that the cameras were there expecting Pools to win at ease against a side who shouldn’t be top. He was riled

Woking are a decent side, not big and brute like too many in this division and they moved the ball around smartly.

“We are a strong group, expected to get relegated and we do our talking on the pitch in games and as a management team,’’ said Dowson. “I can’t argue with the effort and desire against a very good side.’’

Hignett mused: “They are top of the league and if they are top then we have nothing to be scared of – that’s the message. “We were the better team, more threatening and had more to our game, but they play to their strengths and are very good at it. They work hard, we had to match it, second balls, we had to match that and the one disappointing thing is we didn’t stop as manty crosses second half.

“We are in a good place, the lads are confident in what they are doing and have took to the style really well. We have had some good games here and it’s taken a great goal from them to peg us back.’’