HARTLEPOOL UNITED have been urged to hit a ruthless streak by teenager Matty Robson after Neale Cooper's men slipped into the bottom half of the League One table, writes Paul Fraser.

Pool go into tomorrow's game at home to Port Vale having won just one of their last six League games.

Had it not been for Pool's good home form a place in the relegation zone would have been on the cards by now.

While Cooper's side have won their last three games in front of their own supporters, that is in stark contrast to their record on their travels.

They have won just once - the 2-0 success at Huddersfield on August 16 in front of the Sky cameras.

Robson has called for Hartlepool to make sure they do not let their standards slip against Port Vale, who have won just once away from home this season.

"We need to take our chances when we get them. There have been times away from home when we have passed teams off the park in the first half, but we haven't taken our chances, they have scored and our heads have gone down," said Robson, part of the side which lost 3-0 at Peterborough last weekend.

"Because our away form is not the best we have got to keep winning at home. We are not a team who will lie down and admit defeat and we want to make sure we come back strong against Port Vale."

Despite slipping six points adrift of the play-off zone, Robson is convinced Pool can recapture their best and close the gap on the top six. The 19-year-old also believes the signing of Ben Clark from Sunderland, a former England Under-21 international, can only help the club achieve their aims and repeat the heroics of last season when they lost to Bristol City in the play-off semi-final.

"We know we can beat teams, we have just got to keep working hard and believing that," he said. "We expect to be up there again.

"Ben Clark is a good signing for us. He has come from a massive club and obviously believes we are a team who can be up there."

Read more about Hartlepool here.