WITH a lack of home wins holding back Hartlepool United, Andy Monkhouse is out to put things right this weekend.

In eight games in all competitions this season, Pools have recorded just one Victoria Park victory, 3-0 over Walsall last month.

By contrast they have won four times away from home in eight games.

Tranmere, under the caretaker charge of club physio Les Parry after the sacking of John Barnes, visit on Saturday.

And Monkhouse, who scored his third of the season in the weekend’s 2-0 win at Swindon, knows the importance of victory for 13th placed Pools.

“The league is really tight so if you get back-to-back wins you can go from the bottom end to the top end,’’ he said.

“We’ve got to look to sort out our home form against Tranmere.

“It’s quite embarrassing really that we haven’t won back-to-back games since last October.

“But it’s all about consistency.

Look at Colchester, they’ve put together a few results and they’re third in the league.

“We know what we need to do so it’s up to us this week to get our heads down.

“I don’t think Swindon have had a lot of wins but they’re just outside the playoffs and that’s where we want to be.’’ Monkhouse will again be joined in the Pools midfield at the weekend by Ritchie Jones.

He missed five games after being dropped by Chris Turner after defeat at Colchester on September 19.

But he was recalled to the side for the win at Swindon and followed up an impressive display for the reserves at Leeds last week with an equally solid display in the engine room.

“I left Ritchie Jones out against Walsall because he wasn’t doing what he was doing out there on Saturday afternoon,’’ said Turner.

“That’s what I want from him, hard work and he has the ability top do it.

“When you leave players out you want a reaction and I saw that in training and in his appearance for the reserves last week.

“That’s what made me put him back in the team and he was outstanding, fantastic and what we want from a midfield player.

Pools reserves – unbeaten so far this season – go to Huddersfield tonight, with Ben Clark likely to feature after an injury-hit start to the season.