ANTONY SWEENEY admits Hartlepool United must upset the form book in the coming weeks – but knows the importance of taking points from the coming fixtures.

With Pools dropping closer to the League One drop zone after just two wins in 13 games, they face Leeds, Huddersfield and Millwall in their next three matches.

All three are vying for promotion and the play-offs, so Pools need to start turning their promising performances into points – something not lost on the midfielder.

“We’re playing a few teams who, at the start of the season, nobody would have expected us to get any points against,’’ he admitted.

“But we have to get points against them because we didn’t get maximum points against Gillingham at home.

“Leeds at home is close to a must-win game now – we’ve got ourselves in this position and we have to get ourselves out of it.

“I think we need four or six points from these next three games.

“Leeds will be a tough game even though we’re at home.

They’re another team who are probably nailed on to go up.

“But as we’ve seen in the last couple of games against Charlton and Norwich, no team is unbeatable in this league and if we play well we can beat these teams.

“We’ve got to take that into the home game and hopefully our fans will be up for it. I know for a fact the players will be.’’ Leeds face Tottenham in an FA Cup replay in midweek before their trip to Victoria Park.

They saw off Colchester at the weekend, but results in League One have stuttered of late, and Sweeney admitted: “I don’t think anyone expected Exeter to beat them, and Swindon beat them comfortably.

“We beat Swindon, so does that mean we can beat Leeds?

I think we can.

“To a man in our team, we’ll all have to play well and probably have a bit of luck as well.’’