EIFION Williams is playing football with a smile on his face again.

The stakes of tomorrow's Third Division play-off with Cheltenham aside, Hartlepool United's newest recruit is just happy to be playing football again after a stint in the doldrums and a spell on the substitutes' bench at Torquay.

After moving to Pool in a £30,000 deal last month, striker Williams has netted four times in a blue and white shirt - including a goal at Exeter last week to clinch Pool's fifth win in a row and with it a play-off berth.

"The play-offs looked a long way away, especially after we lost to Macclesfield,'' admitted the striker who made a habit of scoring against Pool in a Torquay shirt. "Then we needed to win all our games. We had to go for it and win our last five games.

"I started the next game against Oxford and it was good for my confidence to score two goals.The manager brought me here to score goals and thankfully, that's what I've been doing for him so far and now I have to keep it going.

"It's nice to play for a manager who wants me and I know the manager has watched me for a long time. Roy McFarland came in at Torquay and wanted to bring in his own players, but I got on well with him.

"And it's nice to be scoring for Hartlepool instead of against them!"

Chris Turner has long been an admirer and now the Welshman, who bagged a hat-trick against Pool on his Torquay debut in March 1999, is backing his team to triumph after two play-off failures in the past two years.

"We are going into the play-offs as the form team and we have to believe we can go all the way - we've had five straight wins,'' he said. "We are playing Cheltenham with a lot of confidence; they are going to be a hard team to face, they are a big, strong side.

"We have got to win on Saturday and go to Cheltenham with something to hold onto.

"I think the last couple of years, Hartlepool have lost the first game so we've got to go there in front. We've scored a lot of goals at home and have been playing well and that's what we have got to keep going.

"They are a good team but we can't be thinking or worrying about them, we have to concentrate on how we will play - they are a big team, so there's no point in pumping high balls into them.

"I know Hartlepool lost to them twice this season, but it hasn't been mentioned in the dressing room.

"We know what we can do and as long as we play well, we have to be confident - we can beat them.''

Williams has forged quick understanding with 18-goal Gordon Watson and added: "Having someone like Paul Smith on the wings is a dream. We are creating plenty of chances and we know we can put them away.

"Me and Gordon seem to be playing well together. He is good to play alongside and we have developed a quick partnership.''

l Tickets go on general sale this morning from 10am for both tomorrow and Tuesday's second-leg at Whaddon Road.

Only a couple of hundred tickets remain for the Town End Terrace and Cyril Knowles Stand and fans must be on the club's ticketing database or take some form of identification with them.

Pool have sold 450 tickets for Tuesday's second leg and they go on general sale this morning.

The ITV Sport Channel is supposed to be showing extended highlights of both legs, but the plug could be pulled on the chanell at any time. Pool have decided against having a Victoria Park beam back for the second leg.

Read more about Hartlepool here.