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" Whether you're first after one game or bottom, you always still look at the table. It obviously wasn't nice to be fifth bottom after playing seven games. But the win on Saturday lifted us a few places and another win tomorrow will hopefully push us on a bit further and then we can look at the top half.
" We made a point of saying after Brentford that we were going to try to get two wins from the two home games. It was disappointing to go a goal down early on in the game. But the lads showed great character to come back and get a deserved win. It probably wasn't the prettiest of games. But we don't care as long as we got the win.
" Hopefully we can push on now and get the result against Carlisle. We got a good point at Brentford, won against Walsall and now it's about Carlisle. You can look at games in advance and wonder about results, but very rarely do they go as predicted.
" Brentford away is a tough place, a point was good, and backed up with a home win on Tuesday would make it seven points well earned. We know we can put performances in against good teams at big venues and not got the results maybe like Carlisle have this season.
" And then you go to places and everyone thinks 'Hartlepool will do well today' and it's not worked out like that. They will come to us and not relish it, it will be a tough game for them and we have to make sure of it. "
In team news for Hartlepool this evening, they will be missing the versatile Ritchie Humphreys (hamstring) and former Gretna midfield Fabian Yantorno (hip) after the pair went off injured in the 2-1 home win over Walsall on Saturday. Meanwhile, striker Adam Boyd missed that game with an ankle problem but looks likely to get a place on the bench tonight, but pacey winger James Brown and centre-forward Billy Greulich are definitely sidelined with their own ankle injuries.
It is in goal that Hartlepool have even bigger problems at the moment though with both their stoppers currently injured. Number one choice Scott Flinders absent with thumb ligament damage, while back-up man Andy Rafferty has a broken finger. That meaning that 18-year old Blackburn loanee Jake Kean will start the match again, and 19-year old Manchester United loanee Conor Devlin will be on the bench.
The referee for tonight's match is Paul Tierney from Wigan, and he will be assisted down the lines by Alf Greenwood from York and Seb Stockbridge from Dunston, Tyne and Wear. Meanwhile the fourth official is Scott Duncan from Newcastle.