Going up wasn't on the agenda of a single Hartlepool fan in the summer. Having stayed in this division by one point and then by goal difference in the last two seasons, all we wanted was a season that showed a bit of improvement, a season in which we never looked like being involved in another relegation battle. We're just enjoying the run at the moment, a run that now stands at 7-2-2 from the last 11 games, with seven of those eleven games being away from home. It's such a tight division that anything could still happen, including promotion, AND including that relegation battle. I don't know how to read a table in which Southampton have played THIRTEEN home games and just eight away, while we have played nine and eleven. But wherever we end up in May, 2010/11 will be remembered as the season we got the fun back after a couple of grim years.
It's funny that our physical presence is mentioned. I tend to agree, though the fans of Brighton would offer a different view. We beat them 3-1 in our last home game before yesterday and some of the Brighton fans were up in arms about how we "kicked them off the pitch". This from fans of Brighton, one of the more physical frontrunners this division has had in a while. In truth there was nothing too physical about or game that afternoon, we just made sure we were first to every loose ball, and didn't give Brighton the space to play. It's an approach that has worked well in our last two away games that has seen us clinch surprise (to the neutral, not so much to us) victories at Bournemouth and Huddersfield.
I agree that strength in depth will be a problem for us. rudemedic you are correct about our substitution yesterday. It was Steve Haslam, the former Sheffield Wednesday and Halifax defender. He has spent much of his career at full back and has played most of his games for us either at fullback or at the back of midfield (where he spent the last ten minutes yesterday after we sent Armann Bjornsson on as a more physical defensive presence). He's not a centre-half, and that is the one area of the pitch where we are very short of cover. It looks like Sam Collins will be out for around four weeks and I would imagine Mick Wadsworth will bring someone in on loan to cover the loss.