ANTONY Sweeney is as frustrated as anyone at Hartlepool United and admits everyone would settle for an ugly, scrappy win at home to Preston North End tomorrow night.

Pools lost at home for the sixth time in a row on Saturday, going down to Yeovil. With Preston visiting tomorrow night, the midfielder admits it's all about winning.

"We beat Scunthorpe and thought this was a great chance, against two teams who are struggling, to go into a week off in sixth place,'' said Sweeney.

"Saturday was a massive setback but we've still got the chance to get back up the table with the game in hand.

"If you look too much into it and get uptight, then that's no good.

"But then if you think ‘ah, we're okay, we're winning away from home', then you can go the opposite way.

"The answer is hard work and getting back to the ugly side of the game.

"The fans might not think it's pretty, but if it gets us that win and gets the win to get the home form going, then you can start introducing better football.''

And Sweeney, who could return to central midfield tomorrow admitted: "I think we turned up expecting to win the game.

"It was a slack set-play from myself. The lad pinned me and got above me to score the goal.

"That's the first mistake. Scotty said in the dressing room that he could have kept it out as well.

"After that, they got men behind the ball and frustrated us and did a perfect away job on us.

"But that seems to be the thing at home at the moment - mistakes leading to goals then having to climb a mountain again.

"If you look at the stats of the game then we would be on top, but without creating clear-cut chances.

"We could have snatched a point at the end with Nathan's effort, but we can't keep coming in saying it was a hard-luck story.''