HARTLEPOOL United are finding out how testing life can be away from the euphoria of a championship challenge.

Twelve months ago Pool were on their way out of Division Three, as they turned on the style, sending plenty of teams away from Victoria Park with heads bowed.

But while Pool are sitting a healthy eighth in Division Two this time around, they have suffered some unhappy away days.

They have lost their last three League games away from Victoria Park, at Notts County, Plymouth and QPR, and Ritchie Humphreys believes it is all part of the learning curve as Pool strive to establish themselves in a new division.

Humphreys said: "QPR were a world apart from everyone else we have played, they were excellent.

"A few friends who saw the results said we must have been battered, but it wasn't quite like that.

"We didn't get a battering, we put up a decent show. How dominant we were last year in the third division is how dominant they are in the second - so it's all about learning from it.

"We've seen it from one side of the fence, now we are on the other.

"Not many people expected us to be in the top six or around the top ten, so it's nice to be where we are.

"Now it's about keeping going over Christmas and early January, then it sets the season up for us.''

On Saturday Pool frustratingly drew 0-0 at home with ten-man Colchester and they meet Barnsley on Boxing Day before going to Oldham 48 hours later.

Then there's the FA Cup tie at Sunderland on Saturday, January 3 to think about.

"This spell will determine if we have a good season or an average one,'' added Humphreys.

"Now it's about picking up the points to stay in there at the top end. We only picked up a point on Saturday, but we have moved up two places to sixth.

"Get another good result on Boxing Day against Barnsley and we are in there. It's a tight table - Oldham beat QPR on Saturday and we go there later in the week.

"They contained us at home earlier in the season and are a good, organised team. I'm looking forward to the Barnsley game first then after Christmas we've got the Cup game to think about.

"Then we can take in another little five-game spell and see where we are.''

Meanwhile, on-loan Chris Shuker has hinted he is unlikely to turn his temporary stay at Pool into a permanent one.

The Liverpool-born midfielder is on loan from Manchester City, but admitted: "I don't want to be too far from home. I don't know anyone up in Hartlepool and would like to stay in the north-west.''

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