CHRIS Turner believes the weight of expectation might be playing its part in Hartlepool United's promotion push.

Pool extended their unbeaten run to an unheard of 21 games in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Halifax, a game in which the Division's fourth-paced side found it difficult to break down Paul Bracewell's side rooted in 23rd spot.

The visitors arrived with a gameplan to pack the defence and hope to catch Pool out on the break and for Bracewell it worked a treat.

For Pool, however, it was a frustrating affair that became scrappier as the minutes ticked away and Turner is well aware of the demands being placed upon his players as the season comes to an exciting close.

Pool don't know - and won't know until at least April 11 when the FA hold its inquiry - whether Chesterfield's alleged financial irregularities mean that finishing fourth is good enough for automatic promotion or a play-off slot.

But Pool have to forget about what might happen.

Opponents are showing them the respect their achievements deserve. If you are at the top of the table, opponents aren't going to arrive at Victoria Park with an ambitious game plan. They know if they leave themselves open to attack, Turner's side will punish them.

Halifax took a shock lead through Michael Proctor, the forward on loan from Sunderland, and Pool needed a helping hand from keeper Craig Mawson to get them level.

A minute after Proctor latched onto a long ball behind the defence and coolly netted, Paul Stephenson's inswinging corner fooled Mawson and he fumbled the ball into his own net.

Pool had taken the game to Halifax from the off and with a bit of good fortune could have been a couple of goals to the good before finding themselves one-down.

"The whole scenario is built around everyone expecting us to win,'' reflected Turner. "Everyone is coming to watch this great team beat Halifax and there is a lot of pressure on a lot of young players and senior players who have not been in this situation before.

"This football club has never been in this situation for ten years when we are expected to win. This performance was a bit edgy. I said a few weeks ago that performances would be up and down until the end of the season.

"Look at Blackpool on Saturday - they got beaten at Exeter and Steve McMahon would have gone down there expecting to win because they are going for the play-offs. They lost 2-0 and at this stage of the season the teams at the bottom have to pick up points and win games.''

Turner's theory is supported by Saturday's results. The only side in the bottom eight not to pick up at least a point was Barnet - a team in freefall.

All the other teams stuck in the dogfight to escape the drop picked up at least a point and each side in the play-off zone dropped points to one of the strugglers.

Pool have a comfortable 12- point cushion over Scunthorpe in eighth-spot and it's difficult to see them clawing back that difference. Whether Pool have enough time to catch Brighton and Cardiff - who lost at Cheltenham yesterday - is another matter.

"The finishing line is a bit closer and we are better off now than we were at three o'clock on Saturday because every team has now played another game without gaining any ground on us,'' added Turner. "Halifax got their midfield players to sit in there and they wanted to pack their defence and they got what they wanted - the emphasis was on us to take the game to them and we didn't do it very well. I told the players after the game that we need to do better than that.

"It's now a different sort of pressure on us. Teams used to come here in the past and think 'this is a game we can win' but now they come here and know they are in for a hard game.

"Bracewell said before the game that we are one of the best teams he has seen this season and his gameplan reflected that. But having said that we needed to beat them and two months ago I think we would have.

"There is definitely an edge around the players - we don't know if finishing fourth could be an automatic promotion spot.

"Without tempting fate it looks like we are in the play-offs. It would take an horrendous turn of events not to be in there now, but there is us, Blackpool, Hull and Leyton Orient looking at fourth place and then looking to the Football League to see what happens.''

After establishing a club record for games without defeat and establishing the longest unbeaten run in English football this season, Pool are now within three games from equalling the North-East record. Jack Charlton's Middlesbrough class of 1974 went 24 outings without losing.

Not a bad achievement and maybe when some of the fans are all too quick to let Turner and the players know what they think, they should sit back and take stock.

If one of the many early chances had gone in, there is little doubt that the game would have been won.

Tommy Miller was again the chief creator as Pool took the initiative. Anth Lormor should have netted from the edge of the area after Miller's exquisite ball but opted for placement instead of power and Mawson collected.

Then Darren Knowles - who returned to give Pool more balance on the right - wasn't afraid to try his luck on a couple of occasions. He's obviously got the taste for goal after his scoring exploits at Feethams last month.

Miller danced his way into the area and Mawson tipped his effort around the post as Pool were in command. But a long Mawson clearance was lost by the Pool defence and Proctor, an integral part of Halifax's breakaway gameplan, netted.

Read more about Pool here.