'Pools boss John Hughes spoke to the Hartlepool Mail and his club's official website ahead of his side's Boxing Day League One match against Carlisle at Brunton Park, Hughes desperate for the visitors to pick up three points after 21 games without a win:
"I'm desperate for that victory and so are all the players. I've said all along I am an expansive manager, I want the team to play attractive, passing football but obviously I know that I have been brought here to win us games. As a coach, I need to find something that is staying true to my principles but that is effective in getting us back to winning again to give us the best possible chance of staying in League One.
"We may be low on confidence and lacking a little in belief but I need the kind of character from the players to roll their sleeves up, get out there and think "come on then, let's do this" and hopefully we can get that. I know it’s a cliché but all I want for Christmas is that win. I’m still doing everything with a smile, but if we could win that football match then I would be beaming.
“It is coming too, believe me. I can see in training that things are improving. There is a spirit there, for definite. Even in games I think we’ve seen that. Maybe we just need that slice of Lady Luck to kick us off. Win one and then another and all of a sudden the picture looks very different. Carlisle are just above the relegation places and this is a real chance for us.”
In team news for ‘Pools tomorrow they will definitely be missing two players, while also having doubts over four others. The pair of confirmed absentees being the suspended duo of right-back Neil Austin and centre-half Jack Baldwin who will see out their bans at Brunton Park after the postponement of Hartlepool’s home match with Portsmouth last Saturday, Austin serving the final game of a four match ban after picking up two red cards this season, while Baldwin sits out one game having notched up five yellow cards recently.
As far as the doubts are concerned meanwhile centre-half and vice-captain Peter Hartley is hoping to recover from a bout of conjunctivitis in order to feature in the matchday squad, while teenage frontman Luke James is in the same boat having suffered from tonsillitis recently. Finally come central midfielders Nathan Luscombe, who is on the comeback trail from a knee problem, and Simon Walton who has been out with a hamstring injury.
The referee for tomorrow afternoon’s match is Mark Halsey from Bolton and he will be assisted down the lines by Adrian Simpson from Castleford in West Yorkshire and another Boltonian in Ian Siddall. Meanwhile the fourth official is Jeremy Simpson from Carnforth.