DESPITE steering his Hartlepool United side to a comfortable mid-table spot in League One, Chris Turner has not been without his critics this season.

But the club’s director of sport, who is also in control of first team affairs at Victoria Park, has answered the knockers.

In a revealing question and answer session on the club’s website, Turner insisted the club is on the right track to progress – and has not ruled out taking the club into the Championship.

Pools lie eight points off the play-off zone, but have a tricky run of fixtures to come.

While today’s trip to thirdplaced Charlton has been frozen off, Pools have to face Norwich, Southampton, Leeds, MK Dons and Huddersfield in the coming weeks.

Fans were asked to submit their own questions and the Pools boss said: “I enjoy reading them, even if they are critical of me.

“I look at the situation being quite similar to when I first arrived here (1999) and, as the man in charge, you get criticised while things take time to knit together.

“We need every player fit and when they are we can compete with anyone in this division. Players who have been injured are slowly but surely coming back and if we can keep adding extra quality then we can kick on towards promotion.’’ He added: “For the doubters and the knockers, if you look back there was one season when we scored the most home goals in the Football League barring Man City under Kevin Keegan. I remember putting seven past Swansea, five past Southend, five past Rushden.

“We’ll get back to those days, I’m confident of it. We’ll play the entertaining football and we’ll get there.

“I want to assure you there is no way Hartlepool United are stagnating or plodding along. We are striving to get to the Championship and we will do everything we can to get there.’’ Turner this week signed Irish midfielder Joe Gamble.

He has been chasing a holding midfielder since missing out on Colin Healy in the summer.

He hopes Gamble’s addition will boost his squad and silence the terrace grumbles.

He answered: “I think there are some people you will never win round because they have things set in their minds.

“But when I was here in my first season last time I remember a similar thing – supporters were hanging around the sidelines calling me a ‘mackem so and so’.

“I think that’s just the way certain people are – quiet when we’re winning, but quite vibrant when we’re losing.’’ And Turner also took the chance to describe his frustration over the standard of officials in the division.

After openly criticising the performance of Tyneside official Eddie Ilderton in the Boxing Day loss at Leeds, Turner added: “Referees in League One are generally quite new with a lack of experience and performing in front of 30,000 at Leeds can be daunting.

“One supporter said I should have taken the team off at half-time at Leeds – can you imagine the headlines!

“I have to mark the officials after each game and when they perform like they did at Leeds or in the Oldham game then I give low marks.

“Sometimes I get contacted by the LMA to ask about my marks if they are too criticial.

“The bottom line for me is referees are being ruled by those sitting in the stand and are not allowed to referee properly or the way they feel.’’ ■ Pools youth team face Watford at Victoria Park in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night. The winners have been drawn away to either Leicester or Liverpool in the next round.