Keith Curle vows to fight on at Hartlepool after loss to Newport

Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2023 by PA

Embattled Hartlepool boss Keith Curle insists his side can still avoid relegation after losing at home to Newport.

Pools turned in a pitiful performance, conceding the game’s only goal in the 91st minute to Exiles skipper Mickey Demetriou.

Curle was hounded by fans at the final whistle and while Pools sit a point above the drop zone, second-bottom Crawley have four games in hand.

He said: “The only way to get out of this is with results and we need to win on Saturday (against Walsall) and we need everyone involved and associated with the club to get behind us.

“We need to win five games, draw three. That gives us an opportunity to get where we need to be.”

Curle added: “We’ve taken a massive right-hander and we are reeling from it. We now need to win on Saturday.

“We look at what Newport do well and they outmuscle a lot of teams and we needed to match that physicality, and we did for a lot of it.

“We changed and we were adaptable with 11 players missing for various reasons.

“I didn’t think there was a lot in it, but did we give our forward players enough? No. Did our forward players have a scoring threat? No.

“We need to win on Saturday and we need to put the pressure on. We showed character on Saturday to come back at Wimbledon and we have to deal with this disappointment.

“What makes (people) is how you deal with disappointments.

“I can understand the frustration from the fans – this is their club and I am their manager so it gets directed at me. I accept that.”

Newport boss Graham Coughlan has only suffered one defeat in nine away games and, after his side headed to the north-east from south Wales on the morning of the game, said: “I’m pleased for the lads, I work with them every day and see the effort.

“I felt they managed the game tremendously well on a tricky pitch. They showed maturity.

“We will take the 1-0, but I want perfection and we have had opportunities to polish the game off. We need to be a little more clinical in the final third. I would like us for once to be a bit more clinical and put it to bed so I can relax a bit.

“We do it the hard way but the lads have been terrific since I walked through the door. I just hope they climb a few places up the league and they thoroughly deserved that result.

“We are up to 16th in the table, which is a reward. Every time we have a chance to climb we have games off.”