Keith Curle makes stark admission about certain Hartlepool United players after Harrogate Town defeat

Curle has been in interim charge for a month and in that time has overseen five games, with his side taking five points from a possible 15 available.

But, after a sluggish defeat to a struggling Harrogate side, Curle admitted that some of his players will need to buck up their ideas if they want to remain part of his plans.

“Some players are now playing their way out of recognition. It’s that simple,” said Curle.

“It’s nothing to do with anything else apart from performances on the pitch. That’s how you build a career by what you do on game day.”

Curle watched on as his side displayed their defensive frailties in the first half when allowing Alex Pattison to ghost in behind following a series of errors to open the scoring before Jack Muldoon was given too much space to head beyond Ben Killip to double the lead on the stroke of half-time.

It was a lead which proved too big a mountain to climb for Pools in the second half, despite Josh Umerah’s seventh goal of the season five minutes from time.

And it was a result which dropped Pools to the foot of the League Two table by virtue of goal difference having conceded a division high of 25 goals this season.

But while Curle, who admitted to his side lacking vital League Two experience, believes his side will improve, he concedes some players may not be a part of that progression.

“We will improve. We will get better and then the players who improve, they go on a journey,” said Curle.

“The players who don’t, they go on a different journey. That is football. That’s not just being ultra critical, that is the life of being a footballer.

“If you’re in the team and you make good decisions and you perform you will get selected. If you’re in the team and you don’t make good decisions, the likelihood is you go on a different journey.”