'Pools right-back Neil Austin spoke to the Northern Echo ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at Brunton Park tonight, Austin saying Hartlepool need to get their season back on track :
"We can't go to Carlisle and lose - we need to come away with a point minimum. They had a good result last Tuesday and Saturday so they'll be full of confidence, but we've got to bounce back after two defeats. We knew they were going to be two tough tests and hoped we could get some points from the games. It's not to be easy but picking up points from the teams around us is the most important thing. With another couple of wins, we can get back up there.
"I'm quite pleased with my own form of late and the team has been playing well. I was at Darlington last season and it was tip-top in terms of organisation off the field for a long time. It's the same here and we have a good set of lads in the club as well. I'm enjoying my football in League One - I want to play at this level and push on in my career.
"We need to pick up points from teams around us in the table, we are 12th in the table and a couple of wins and we are right back up there. Southampton showed their quality in the end last week, but we started positive. It was probably as well as we have played this season, they way we pushed on in the first-half against a quality side.
"There was a few positives, but it's hard when you lose 3-1 at home. But the lads were down in the changing room. We didn't have a game at the weekend, which may not have been a bad thing after two tough matches."
Meanwhile midfielder Andy Monkhouse told the Hartlepool Mail :
"We're still in the top half of the table. But the top six are starting to pull away so we need to get as many points in as we can. We had five games unbeaten and then lost two on the spin so let's try to get another run going tonight. Obviously we're disappointed at the two results. But I think we've got to take a few positives, especially the first halves in both games.
"I thought at Huddersfield if we got the second one it was a different game and it was the same last Tuesday. Southampton are going to be up there despite the minus ten and Huddersfield have spent a lot of money. But if you look at the way we've played, we've given them a game and I know the manager and a lot of the players are disappointed we haven't taken at least three points out of the two games.
"There's a lot of different players and a different mentality here this year and the away performances have shown that. Huddersfield had a tough game and they were delighted when they ended up winning. Huddersfield have beaten teams by five or six so it just shows how far we've come. But if we want to do anything this year we have to start nicking some points against the better teams."
And former Manchester United man Ritchie Jones, who is suspended tonight, commented to the Mail :
"I'm a bit gutted to be missing out on Tuesday night. It probably was two late tackles but I think the ref didn't help to be fair. I think I made three fouls during the game and two were yellows and I was straight off. I'm not very happy to be missing the game but you can't do anything about it.
"As a central midfielder, you've got to go in there to win the ball but sometimes you're going to be late. I'll obviously have to look at the Millwall game now which will be a tough one because they're another top eight team."
As already mentioned, Ritchie Jones will be absent this evening as he sees out a one game suspension for a two booking red card at home to Southampton last week. Further up the field also missing out are Irish striking pair Denis Behan and Colin Larkin. Behan picking up an ankle ligament injury in the Southampton game while Larkin remains sidelined, although only in the short-term, with a hamstring problem.
Also upfront 19-yeat old Matty Tymon is out until the New Year after suffering ankle ligament damage in a 3-1 reserve team defeat at Scunthorpe in early November. While the final absentee this evening is right-back Steve Haslam who is in the treatment room for another four weeks or so as he makes his comeback from a hernia operation conducted a fortnight ago.
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