Hartlepool: 'Clean sheets needed' - Austin
Hartlepool United need to rediscover the knack of keeping clean sheets if they are to pull away from relegation danger.
That is the message from Neil Austin after seeing Pools' search for their 11th shut-out of the season extend to eight games with a 1-1 draw against Gillingham on Tuesday.
Austin said: "We haven't had a clean sheet in a while.
"I think a month ago we were second in the clean sheet league. We'll have dropped down a bit now.
"I think it's just minor things and little mistakes we need to cut out. We started the season well away from home with plenty of clean sheets. It's important we start getting some more."
Pools will need to be solid at the back in their first ever league visit to Carrow Road on Saturday when they face a Norwich City side rampant on their own patch.
The league leaders, though, will be without suspended top scorer Grant Holt.
But Norwich showed they are far from a one-man band at Walsall on Tuesday night when they grabbed two late goals to seal a 2-1 win.
Austin said: "We approach it exactly the same way as Charlton. We've got nothing to lose."Norwich have won their last 10 at home.
"But there's 11 players on each team so why not?
"We played well enough to get points at Charlton and Bristol Rovers.
"Grant Holt will be suspended which will be key for us.
"Holt showed what a good player he is here."
Meanwhile, Pools will today assess an Achilles injury picked up by club captain Ritchie Humphreys in the Gillingham draw.
Humphreys, who missed the first six weeks of the season with an Achilles problem, picked up a knock just before the hour mark on Tuesday night and was replaced by Ritchie Jones.
Director of sport Turner: "Ritchie got a bang on his Achilles.
"But it was at that stage of the game where we were looking to make changes anyway."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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