LAST week Mick Wadsworth quoted Winston Churchill as he looked into the problems of Hartlepool United's form, saying: "It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a puzzle.''

On Saturday, he referred to both Jack Nicklaus and Napoleon in search of inspiration.

But never mind Churchill, cracking the Enigma code is easier than trying to work out the fluctuations in Pools' form at home and away.

They went into this game on the back of the most comfortable of away wins. They came out of it with nothing, apart from a record-equalling sixth successive Victoria Park loss, a stack of frustration, disappointment and yet more scratching of heads.

There is no one inside Victoria Park - Wadsworth, his coaches and his players - able to pinpoint the problems. They are an honest enough bunch to admit as much.

Five away wins this season and just one defeat, up against two home victories and only seven goals at Victoria Park.

Not since Colin Nish put Pools' third goal past Bury on September 17 have they scored from open play in front of their own supporters. In 556 minutes of football all they have to show is Adam Boyd's penalty against Wycombe.

They hit the frame of the goal twice on Saturday, Andy Monkhouse first when he volleyed against the bar from 20 yards then Nathan Luscombe bobbled a shot onto the post in injury time.

Pools had five shots on target against Yeovil - a team without a win away from home this season. It was more than they had managed in the other games during this run.

But they lacked substance to their game. Yeovil weren't a good side by any stretch of the imagination, neither were Wycombe, yet they were both able to claim victory.

Pools play Preston at Victoria Park tomorrow. Phil Brown's side have not won in 13 games in all competitions.

"I cannot fault endeavour and effort, there's been other times when I could fault it,'' said Wadsworth. "We've got a huge problem, we have to solve, we have to change things.

"There's only two or three things you can change in the game - I am part of that. We have to change. How and why? We think about it in preparation for Tuesday.

"Set-plays should be a rich source of goals at home and it isn't this year. We didn't get the ball in the right areas, we practice until the cows come home and it's fantastic, but not in the game.

"We have to rebuild confidence and strength of character to do the simple things well.

"Having words there afterwards, the most sensible reaction from any player was that it's not about pretty football or great goals, it's about belief and character. The fundamentals like pressing from the front.''

He added: "In all my time in football I've never known anything like it. Luck is infatuated with the efficient. So the more efficient a team is, the luckier you seem to be.

"It's the old Jack Nicklaus one - the more I practice the luckier I get.

"Of course you want to be lucky. Napoleon said it - give me some lucky generals not good generals.

"But you can never ever say we were unlucky, that's no excuse, we were inefficient.

"I don't think this was one of the worst in the second-half, we had a bit of a go and stats will prove that. I don't know how to come out of it. There is no honest answer to it, I won't bullshit, I've never done that in my life.

"We have to think it through and got to change things. You can change the shape, you change the players. If you can't change the players, you change the shape.''

Last season, after being thumped 3-1 at Victoria Park - Pools also beat the Glovers 4-2 in the FA Cup at Victoria Park - Yeovil boss Terry Skiverton labelled his side "southern softies" after they crumbled.

This time around they showed a bit more grit and determination. Their game plan was to sit deep, defend and play on the counter attack. It worked.

Pools wasn't pretty and, after going a goal behind, Pools could have been three behind at the break.

Wadsworth put Boyd on at the break and he made a difference, and while Pools gained some impetus there wasn't enough of it. They had spells of pressure, but lacked real pace and penetration. Scrambling something from the game would have been a bit of a bonus.

MATCHFACTS

Goal:

0-1: N'Gala (25, header from close range after he escaped from Sweeney to nod in)

Bookings: None

Referee: David Coote (Newark): On top of play, probably the best performance on the pitch 8

Attendance: 4,604

Entertainment: 1/5

Pools Yeovil

Shots on 5 6

Shots off 3 5

Fouls 7 10

Corners 5 3

Offside 0 3

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-4-2):

4 Flinders: Conceded the goal in a disappointing manner and didn't look as assured as he

normally is. Made a good late

stop to keep it at one goal late on;

5 Austin: Once again came into a home game on the back of a good away performance and failed to play like the previous week

6 Wright: Could have conceded a first-half penalty but generally the most switched on member of the defensive unit

5 Hartley: Got frustrated and riled in the first half when he was left to try and find passes to the front men from the back

5 Horwood: Some poor dead ball delivery and had plenty of chances to get the ball over from open play as well;

5 Solano: Was off the pace a little bit and while a couple of balls were decent, too many weren't up to usual standard

4 Murray: Sat very deep and took the ball from the back four, but his probing came to little or nothing

5 Liddle: Got bogged down in the middle and was unable to find a way through the ranks of the visitors

4 Sweeney: His effectiveness is wasted on the left side and, while he tried to get forward he didn't make a mark. Held his hands up in the role for the

goal;

3 Poole: Taken off at half-time. Didn't hold up the ball or get in behind the back four like he is capable of doing

5 Monkhouse: Floated and roamed around in a variety of positions but hitting the bar in the first-half was his main

impact.

Subs:

BOYD (for Poole 46): Had a shot within minutes of his arrival and showed a bit more up front than the rest of his teammates 6

Luscombe (for Solano): Almost nabbed a last-gasp leveller when he hit the post from close range 5

Humphreys (for Murray 76)

(not used): Rafferty (gk), Haslam.

YEOVIL TOWN (4-4-2): Gilmartin 6; Ayling 6, N'Gala 7, Huntingdon 7, Ehmer 6; Blizzard 5, Wotton 5, Clifford 6 (Massey 68, 5), Upson 7; Agard 7 (Maclean 87), Williams 7 (Obika 78). Subs (not used): Gilbert, Stewart (gk).

MAN OF THE MATCH

ANDREW Williams - could have scored three in a short spell, and caused problems