MICK Wadsworth is backing Hartlepool United’s away form to lift the club out of the doldrums as they prepare to take on Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park this afternoon, writes JAMES HUNTER.

A run of just one win in seven league games has seen Pool slip to 12th in the table, yet they remain just five points outside the play-off places.

Wadsworth is hoping his side’s impressive record on the road – which has seen Pool lose just twice on their travels all season – will get them back on track.

Pool’s away defeats came against Notts County in the league last month and at Scunthorpe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in August, which gives Wadsworth’s men a chance to extract revenge at Glanford Park.

Wadsworth said: “We were poor in general at Scunthorpe that night and we made poor mistakes.

“That night shows us we will need to ready for them today.

“I am sure we will be because our away form has been generally good this season.

“If you take out that Notts County game then we have had a really good run away from home and we have to continue that.

“We have worked hard at it and put in a good performance at Leyton Orient two weeks ago, so this is a great opportunity for us to get back to winning ways.

“If we can get a result on Saturday and then put in two strong performance in the next two home games we will all feel a lot better about things.”

Pool will be without first-choice goalkeeper Scott Flinders as he serves a one-match ban following his eighth-minute dismissal in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat against Stevenage, with Andy Rafferty keeping the gloves after he came on for the remainder of the game.

With three strikers on the injury list, Pool’s squad is stretched to its limit but Wadsworth insists he is not looking to add anyone on loan ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Colin Nish and Colin Larkin have both undergone knee surgery this week, while James Brown is out with a groin injury.

That means Pool go into today’s game with James Poole and Adam Boyd as their only fit out-and-out strikers.

However, Boyd has been out of form recently and midfielder Andy Monkhouse is set to play up front against 17th-placed Scunthorpe.

Wadsworth added: “I will not be considering the loan market.

“We have Pooley who can play up top and Monkhouse has done a good turn up there as well.”