Hartlepool: Turner looks to 4-5-1
Chris Turner will trial Hartlepool United's new 4-5-1 formation for the first time on home turf tomorrow night.
Pools dominated with their five-man midfield at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, only for the hosts to make the most of wasteful finishing by Turner's men to claim a 2-0 victory.
In the two away games where director of sport Turner has employed his new system, Pools have impressed, with Andy Monkhouse and Colin Larkin quick to support lone striker Denis Behan and holding midfielder Joe Gamble enjoying plenty of space to dictate the play.
The acid test will come tomorrow, with Gillingham visiting Victoria Park in a game where Pools can ill-afford to come away with anything less than three points.
Turner said: "4-5-1 might be the way forward at home as well. It's a system where we have had a lot more shots and a lot more of everything in the way we have performed.
"Listening to the players, they are happy in that situation and are getting a feel for it.
"It's been a positive and you've got to look at a system that fits your players."
Saturday's defeat was Pools' third in a row, and their sixth straight away loss, to leave them just four points above the bottom four.
Chris Lines capitalised on slack defending to head Rovers in front in the third minute before former Pools loanee Darryl Duffy sealed victory.
BRISTOL ROVERS: Andersen, Regan, Coles, Anthony, Lescott, Wright (Reece 82), Campbell, Lines, Hughes (Swallow 82), Williams (Duffy 56), Kuffour. Subs not used: Evans, Elliott, Clough, Richard. Booked: Anthony. Goals: Lines 3, Duffy 66
HARTLEPOOL: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Liddle, Haslam, Larkin, Humphreys (Jones 73), Gamble, Sweeney, Monkhouse, Behan (Boyd 73). Subs not used: Cook, Clark, McSweeney, Fredriksen, Bjornsson. Booked: Humphreys, Liddle, Monkhouse
Att: 5,794. Ref: Gavin Ward (Surrey)
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Friday 10 February 2012
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