CONFIDENCE goes a long way in football and Joel Porter believes Hartlepool United possess it in abundance.

After promotion from the bottom division in 2003, Pools adapted swimmingly to life in the new division.

Today, on the back of last season's elevation from League Two, Porter can sense that spirit and camaraderie will go a long way in the coming nine months.

Pools open with a tricky trip to Luton, relegated from the Championship last season, who have filled their team with experience over the summer.

Porter missed the majority of last season with knee trouble, mirroring his previous campaign. But a goal on the final day of the season secured some personal satisfaction to carry into the summer.

"Pre-season training has gone really well,'' admitted the Australian, now in his fifth season with Pools. "Training has gone well and we have had some pretty tough games.

"It is been a hard couple of weeks but we are ready to go and looking forward to getting started.

"I am feeling really good. My knees are holding up well and now all I need is some games.

"I missed a lot of last season and only came back for the final few games, so I needed this pre-season.

"Getting the goal helped get me through the pre-season.

"I had that little bit of excitement at the end, it was just a shame that we couldn't quite be a championship-winning team.

"But we have taken the momentum from last season into this pre-season and now we can't wait for Luton.

"When you are on a winning streak you build up some momentum and we are hoping to take that into this league.''

Pools enjoyed two successful seasons at this level before being relegated and Porter feels that experience in reaching the play-offs in both 2004 and 2005 will stand them in good stead for the battles ahead.

"We had a good couple of years in this division and we know what it is about,'' he admitted.

"We will have to work hard on our fitness and there are some good players in this league.

"It is going to be great to be up against the likes of Nottingham Forest and Leeds United in front of capacity crowds.

"The boys will get a lift when the time comes to playing them away from home because playing in front of 20,000 fans is something to look forward to.

"The fans get a lot of excitement out of travelling to these good stadiums as well and no doubt they will be roaring us on, hopefully to some victories.''

Porter is in contention for a start alongside Richard Barker at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The pair have yet to start a game together as Barker was suspended at the end of last season and Porter's start against Bristol Rovers was his first since October.

"I want to get as many games under my belt as possible and hold down a starting role.

"Obviously I want to score as many goals as possible as well.

"Team-wise, I hope we can cement our place back in League One - that has to be our first aim.

"Hopefully we have learned the lessons from last time we were in this division. When we got relegated we started badly and never managed to catch up.

"Hopefully we have learned that lesson. We didn't start too well last year but we got some momentum going with a winning run and look where it took us.

"Hopefully we can get a couple of early wins and it can be an exciting season.

"It is a long season with 46 games but it helps if you can get a good start. It takes a bit of the pressure off.

"It is not the end of the world if you don't get a good start, as we showed last season when we came back and had a run at it.

"But it is a step up this season and it is going to be even harder this time around.''