GORDON WATSON'S T-shirt said it all.

'You have two chances of beating me - slim and none. And slim has left the building'

A slogan which perhaps should be on the back of his Hartlepool United shirt this season because if the last campaign is anything to go by, Division Three defenders are in for the roughest of rides when they come up against Watson.

And after bagging 18 times last season he has vowed to be even better this time around.

"I feel great,'' he insisted ahead of Pool's opener at Carlisle tomorrow. "I've had a little break and come back feeling great. I scored a lot of goals last season, but this time I want to score more simple ones, more tap-ins.

"I want to be the leading scorer not only at this club, or division but in the country, but we are a team and if I'm through and I've got a teammate in a better position than me, then I'm going to pass.

"You have to put the team first before yourself. I will shoot, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.''

Watson was quick to sign a new deal to stay at Victoria Park - and paid the ultimate tribute to manager Chris Turner.

"I wouldn't have signed if the manager wasn't here - he is the main reason I stayed,'' he said. "I had a couple of nice offers, but I wanted to stay. Now I'm here for another year and we will see how things are at the end of it. Everything at the club is geared for promotion and that is our aim.

"I think we have a great team and a great squad here. We have 24 players in the squad and everyone of them can come in and do a job.

"We know that we can win every single game. That's what we are capable of.''

He added: "There was never any doubt in my mind about staying here. I want to repay that faith Chris Turner has shown in me. I wouldn't have stayed if I didn't think we were going to be successful. I want to be part of it.

"Last season we didn't go up and really we got what we deserved.

"We didn't start playing until November and from then on we were flying. What we need now is a happy medium. Instead of winning one, losing one, winning two and losing two, let's have a nice, happy medium, picking up points all the time - we are strong enough to do it.''

Last season, it was the arrival of Paul Smith which proved the catalyst for Pool's - and ultimately Watson's - success. When the former Burnley man made his bow on November 6, Pool were bottom of the table. But as they surged to the top, he created 34 goals and put more crosses in than any other Third Division player. He is likely to miss tomorrow's game through injury, but perfectionist Watson wants to develop an even better working relationship with Smith on his return.

"I want him to get a bit further down the pitch,'' he said. "Sometimes I think he crosses from too deep. I want him to get to the byline and whip some crosses over.

"Sometimes it's me who has laid the ball off to him and then after I've spun off I can't get in there to get on the end of it.

"We've kept the same squad because we haven't needed to go out and get new players in. We are good enough.''

Pool are determined to put the agony of last season behind them. Losing at Cheltenham on penalties was harsh, but Watson took great pride from his team's performance at Whaddon Road.

"It may sound strange, but I didn't feel any disappointment that night, I felt so proud of how we had played,'' he admitted. "No-one gave us a chance at Cheltenham, everyone had written us off before the second-leg.

"And we went there and had the best chances and should have won. When it goes to penalties it is out of your hands; you don't know what is going to happen.

"But no, I really wasn't disappointed that night.'

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