STEPHEN Wright feels the pressure to succeed should be enough to drive Hartlepool United forward.

Pools form at home has been stark contrast to their results on the road, with just two Victoria Park wins standing against five away victories.

Wright and his team-mates have back to back games at home to come in the next week, Yeovil on Saturday followed by Preston next Tuesday, and the defender accepts the need to improve in front of their own fans.

"Runs like this are testing and you find out the personalities in the camp,'' he said. "Younger lads are the same they have to handle it. The last game at home (Stevenage) wasn't a good day for us, but we are showing a little bit more.

"I don't think it's pressure in wanting to do well. You thrive on pressure and the fans want to see the club go in the right direction as well and we are the same. We hope to push on.''

The former Sunderland stopper, who impressed at centre-half in victory at Scunthorpe last weekend, added: "I'm enjoying it here, I really am.

"Mick takes a lot of flak for us, he picks the team and is brilliant at what he does. But we have to take it as well, we have broad shoulders and we have a lot of games to play. It's the players who are going to get us out of this situation.

"There's no bad eggs in there, just all good lads trying to push on and you have to do it every game.''

Saturday saw a first yellow card in a Pools shirt for the combative defender. It was his ninth appearance for the club and he admitted: "Me mates have been on the phone every week asking how I've not got more yellow cards yet. They used to have me every game for the first yellow card! How I've not I don't know, I must have mellowed in old age.''

Peter Hartley is free to play at the weekend, after Pools' appeal against his yellow card in the weekend's win at Scunthorpe was upheld.

The centre-half was cautioned - his fifth of the season - after a foul by Evan Horwood. Pools supplied DVD evidence to support their claim of mistaken identity and an FA committee yesterday transferred to the caution to Horwood.