THE only consistent aspect of Hartlepool United's season has been their inconsistency.

Ten League One games down the line and Pool have impressed in patches, stuttered in others and flattered to deceive in just as many.

Winning at Blackpool a fortnight ago, then giving their best display of the campaign against Swansea and providing a right scare for second in the Premiership Charlton in midweek, the signs that things are coming together were there for all to see.

Chesterfield on Saturday provided a chance for that run to continue, for Pool to show that their stop-start opening was behind them.

Instead, the 90 minutes only served to highlight the problem dogging Martin Scott's side.

One-up at the break, a second-half capitulation when three goals of a similar ilk were conceded leaves Pool floundering fifth from bottom, with just ten points from as many games.

A first home win of the season tomorrow night against Rotherham is imperative.

Complete 90 minute performances from Pool this season have proved hard to come by. Perhaps Swansea seven days previous was the only time the performance has been maintained for the full game.

It says it all about the division this season that Chesterfield, a team who you will find listed in the Oxford English dictionary under 'ordinary'; whose game plan is to find Wayne Allison at every opportunity, today find themselves up in eighth position.

But they've won four from their last five now and a little bit of consistency goes a long way.

"We went into the game with a lot of belief because we had played well of late,'' admitted Scott.

"But we always knew the week we have had - with the travelling - it was going to be tough. Last season we struggled after big midweek trips, but it worked well for us after Bournemouth this season.

"I thought second half at one-nil up we knew what was going to come from them. There was no tempo to the game, their crowd was getting restless and it probably needed a goal like the one they got to lift them.

"It was a good strike, but we could have defended it better and not allowed him to turn and shoot.

"After that, we have to show better character to grind a result out. At 1-1 it would have been a good result for us.

"But it's disappointing to concede two more and the manner in which we conceded - two similar strikes into the corner - I felt we could have defended a lot better and showed more urgency to close people down."

Scott added: "Losing Jon Daly up front was a blow, because he has been a big player for us. Lee Bullock did very well up there in an emergency position.

"I didn't want to play one up front, I think that is really negative, and we needed a bit of strength up there. He worked the line well and won a lot of ball - I was pleased with him and there was some pleasing parts to the game. The disappointing thing was the manner in which we conceded.''

Scott constantly stresses the importance of starting games well and, on this occasion, it was The Spireites who certainly had the edge.

A Kevan Hurst drive after a paltry 16 seconds smashed back off the crossbar and within three minutes Ritchie Humphreys had cleared off the line after Colin Larkin's angled chip beat Dimi Konstantopoulos.

However, it was Pool who took the lead.

Bullock made the pass of the day to find Thomas Butler in an advanced position on the left of the penalty area.

His cross to the near post was flashed home by the head of Michael Proctor for his fourth goal of the season.

Konstantopoulos then had only a low Shane Nicholson free-kick to keep out in the first 45 minutes.

The Spireites were shooting from long range, but their target was way off beam.

Micky Nelson took note of Scott's demands to sort out Allison and kept a tight shackle on the front man.

But tight in the second half isn't an apt description of the Pool rearguard.

Allison caused fewer problems, but instead the three goals all came from the same storybook.

First Larkin turned 25 yards out and drilled a low, rising shot inside the far post across the big dive of Konstantopoulos.

Then Derek Niven picked up the ball in a similar position and, with no black shirt willing to fling himself in front of the ball, he picked the same spot as Larkin 13 minutes earlier and Pool were behind.

Paul Hall had contributed nothing and Humphreys had him comfortably dealt with until the 79th minute.

The left back shadowed him across the area and, once he got the ball onto his left peg within sight of goal, he fired across Konstantopoulos.

With the score a 1-1, Proctor was presented with a good chance to regain the initiative.

Defenders Reuben Hazell and Alan O'Hare went for the same ball and it skewed off the head of Hazell ino Proctor's path eight yards out.

Yet the striker could only poke the ball wide from an inviting position.

"Chances like that at that time of the game are vital,'' admitted Scott.

"When we are down to a bare squad away from home with the score level, it's vital.

"Proc gave us the lead with a great goal and putting that chance would have given us an extra lift. We didn't take it and that's when defensively we have to stick at it together to grind it out.

"It's not just defensively, the strikers have a responsibility as well to work hard and create chances.

"We have to stop conceding and show more desire to stop shots and stop crosses - defend our goal at all costs.''

Result: Chesterfield 3 Hartlepool United 1.

Read more about Hartlepool here.