THERE can't have been anyone heading back up the M1 from Nottingham on Saturday night not reflecting on what might have been.

Because there's no doubting that Hartlepool United had just missed a good opportunity to chalk up away win No 4 of the season.

This limited Notts County team has spent the majority of the season at the foot of the table - it's easy to see why - yet Pool still managed to lose to a single goal.

To try and kick their recent habit of starting away games slowly and finding themselves a goal behind, Pool had to find a way of staying in the game in the early stages.

So Neale Cooper, Hartlepool United's very own Tinker Man, opted for a new look and in terms of staying in the game it worked a treat.

Playing five across midfield stifled Notts, but it also stifled Pool's attacking output because Marcus Richardson, for all his effort and honesty, found it a tough task to play up front alone.

Pool kept it tight in the opening half, but when everyone expected Eifion Williams to push up alongside Richardson or Marco Gabbiadini or Paul Robinson join the attacking fray at the start of the second half they were left waiting.

With four strikers among the 16, it was left too late before they were utilised and Pool paid the price as Simon Baldry's shot found a way past Jim Provett.

Pool's last three games have yielded four points, a disappointing tally against the bottom three teams in Chesterfield, Wycombe and Notts County.

A win, a draw and a loss is a poor return following their explosive start to life in Division Two.

Despite the defeat, Pool stay in the upper reaches. In a tight table they are eighth, four points off the heady heights of second, yet the same number away from 18th-placed Blackpool.

After the FA Cup and Whitby come to town on Saturday their next run of fixtures - a stint which looks a bit more tricky than of late - could shape Pool's season.

Given Cooper's willingness to ship his squad players out on loan or more is he ready to bring in some new blood?

"We tried to contain Notts County and that's why we went with one striker,'' admitted Cooper. "And we did that well and later on we created some good chances.

"Marcus had a good chance in the first half when he got behind the defenders and he has to do better from six or seven yards out.

"We have started slowly away from home at times and sometimes we have lacked a killer touch.

"I've said to the strikers that even though they might only get a few touches they have to be alert and hit the target more often. I'm disappointed with the result and the way in which they scored.

"We normally defend corners well, but the boy hasn't been picked up on the edge of the area and Jim admits he should have done better with the shot.

"I thought it bounced in front of him, but he said it spun off him - these things happen.''

There was nothing on show on Saturday to worry Shildon because Notts are, on this display, an average side. They will work hard and are as organised as any professional outfit but class is a short commodity at Meadow Lane.

If Shildon have a go and push the home side, questions can be asked of Tony Barras and Co at the back. On Saturday, the former Pool defender - he played 15 times as a teenager in Bob Moncur's 1989 team - was never seriously pushed.

At the other end Clive Platt's big frame will always prove awkward and Cooper admitted: "Mark Tinkler did well in the middle and one or two boys performed excellently but one or two others didn't. Michael Nelson has to do better against big centre forwards - Platt was a handful for him, but Steve Howard was when we played Luton as well.

"I know we are not going to win every ball in the air, but he has to do a little bit more.''

Ritchie Humphreys cracked a long-range volley at goal but straight at keeper Steve Mildenhall and at the other end Provett got down low to deny Baldry at the near post.

But after Baldry's shot gave the Magpies the lead, Pool should have quickly equalised. Richardson teed up Mark Tinkler and after waiting for the ball to drop he got under his volley and sent it high over the bar. Robinson, after a trademark run from deep, fired a shot just wide and the equaliser never arrived.

But at the other end came the worst miss of all. With Nelson pushed up front, Pool played with two defenders in Barron and Westwood for the closing minutes, Ian Baraclough broke away and squared for substitute Kevin Nicholson.

Stood inside the six-yard box with an open goal, he somehow pushed his kick wide - it was that sort of game.