MICKY Nelson admits he would gladly swap personal plaudits if it meant Hartlepool United were flying high.

Nelson took home another man of the match trophy on Saturday, after being named the game's outstanding performer by the match sponsors.

But the commanding defender, who comfortably shackled any threat from Darlington in the goalless draw, would love to see his strikers taking the gongs home.

"The whole team put in a good performance this week, it was a good all-round effort,'' he said.

"We had that spell the other week when the forwards were on fire, banging them in and they were getting all the praise.

"I think I would rather see them get man of the match every week because it would mean the goals are going in and we are winning games.

"There's no reason why we can't go on another run like that, but we don't mind how a win comes.

"We could go on a run scoring plenty of goals or we could take a couple of scrappy one-nils, we don't mind. It doesn't matter how you win, you could be terrible and get a smash and grab one-nil.

"Sometimes it's backs against the wall and you don't really deserve anything, yet get a point or three.

"It really doesn't matter how they come.''

Pools were the game's dominant force on Saturday, but were unable to find a way through.

Nelson went close when his second-half header was pawed away by Sam Russell and he admitted: "It's another game which we can't believe we haven't won.

"We started really brightly, had a shot after a matter of seconds and that set the tempo for the game.

"In the first half they didn't really put us under any pressure and we were on top from the word go.

"I can't really remember them having any short spell of pressure.

"We expected Joachim to play, but they never really had the ball down on the floor to try and get him in behind us.

"We had a fair few chances in the first half and kept it going in the second.

"Their keeper pulled off a save from a header of mine, then got a good hand on another to keep it out - I think we all thought it was in.

"Somehow Gary Liddle's shot has been kept out by Wainwright right at the end. I think it's hit him, then bounced off Sam and went out.

"We were a little bit unlucky, but we know we have to start taking our chances when we are on top.''

It was Nelson's first taste of a real Football League derby. He faced Quakers in the Carling Cup last season, but was a Bury player the last time the sides met in the old Division Three in 2002.

"It was a different type of game with it being a derby and it was probably the hardest game we've had because of the atmosphere and who it was against,'' he admitted.

"It was near enough a full house and we know what it means to the fans, but we acquitted ourselves very well.

"I thought the referee controlled the game very well, we had a couple of penalty claims, but overall he did well and sometimes derby games don't go like that.

"We knew we got the ball down well and passed it around well and I don't honestly think we've been troubled at all. Dimi hasn't had anything to save or keep out.

"If we carry on playing like that we know goals will come and we will win games.

"They haven't troubled us or had any shots on target - it's very pleasing to come out of a game like that, especially as a defender."