Moore: Home wins needed now

Ronnie Moore has urged Hartlepool to ride their fine home form to an unlikely great escape following a 1-0 win over Northampton.

Pools made it three wins in a row at Victoria Park when Marvin Morgan grabbed the only goal to end Northampton's six-game unbeaten run. And with Pools now just six points adrift of safety at the foot of the table, Moore is urging his men to pick up another triumph when Stevenage head to town on Saturday. "It's nice to get wins at home," he said. "We said we need to try to make this into a fortress. "If we had lost it would have been difficult. The results elsewhere have been decent but it's ours we have to take care of. The rest will look after themselves. "If we come out of the blocks firing, we are a match for anybody. Before Northampton went on their run I think they had lost five in a row. "If we can win on Saturday then the gap could go to three points. If it does then all of a sudden there is nothing in it. But we have to make sure this result counts." Moore also urged enigmatic man of the match Jack Compton, who was not in the squad for Saturday's 1-0 loss at Portsmouth, to back up Tuesday's fine showing over the remainder of the campaign. He added: "Compton was immense. He is one of those guys who's marmite. You either love him or hate him. "When he gets his head right, he can be a threat all day. He's set a standard now and if he can produce that form we will win a lot more. "He has got a chip on his shoulder and I don't know why. But I've spoken to him and he knows how I feel. "Hopefully he has learnt and grown up a little. He is sulky and thinks he should be playing for Real Madrid. But he's not, he is playing for Hartlepool. There is no doubting the ability, though." Northampton boss Chris Wilder was furious with midfielder Lee Collins, whose poor back-pass left Morgan clean through for the decisive goal. "We knew it was going to be a test and we warned the players," he said. "But we just gifted them a goal. "When I walked into the club over a year ago I looked at the goals we conceded and they were horrific. They were just mistakes. "There was nothing in the game and we have lifted their supporters, staff and players by a mistake we did not need to make. "That was the pivotal moment. Whether Lee likes it or not, I don't really care. That's the situation. It's a real good night for them and a real disappointing one for us."