WITH confidence lifted and their home hoodoo broken, Antony Sweeney believes Hartlepool United are capable of a push into the top half of League One.

Pools are in mid-table on the back of Saturday's point at Sheffield Wednesday and take on Carlisle at Victoria Park at the weekend.

But it's three games without defeat for Pools and, after winning at home last time out to halt a run of nine successive Victoria Park defeats, Sweeney is looking up.

"It's Carlisle at home next and we aim for another win,'' he said. "We've got to go out every home game thinking that - but it might sound a bit stupid after the run we have been on at home.

"But we need to lift our form and we have gone three unbeaten. There's been times this season when we have been disappointed, both performance and goal-wise, but hopefully my goal on Saturday will be the first of many to come now.''

His glided 25-yard volley to earn a draw was only his third of the campaign, but he added: "I admit there's been times this season when I've not played as well as I can and when that happens you take the criticisms. There's a few of us not playing anywhere near the capabilities and that's one reason why we lost so many at home.

"Sometimes you need a bit of quality or luck to get you going. Maybe there's been a bit of a lack of confidence throughout the season and hopefully that will come back with plenty of games to press on.

"It's a must-win next week, they are above us and having a good season so it will be hard and they always are against them.''

With keeper Nicky Weaver off his line and Pools chasing the game, Sweeney lifted his shot high over the stranded custodian into the Hillsborough net.

And he admitted options were a bit limited when the chances presented itself.

He said: ''The ball bounced up for me. My options were to knock it past the defender and run, but I'm not that quick, or hit it first time.

"The lads said they could see it was in all the way, goals haven't been coming too easy for me this season so I wanted to wait until it hit the back of the net before I started celebrating.

"I saw the keeper was a little off his line, but the ball sat up perfect for me to hit it and you don't get that many chances in a game."