Craig Hignett has called on his players to produce a strong performance against Salford City this weekend to banish the memories of Monday and finish the campaign on a high.
The Pools boss was left angry following a below-par display at Barrow last time out and he wants the squad to use that disappointment as fuel ahead of the season finale on Saturday.
Visitors Salford suffered a surprise home defeat to AFC Fylde on Easter Monday which left their title hopes in the balance as they prepare for the trip to The Super 6 Stadium.
However, Hignett doesn't expect that to take the edge off the visitors' performance on Saturday and has told his team they need to be up for the battle.
“It's going to be a big game so I am sure there's a good atmosphere,” he told Pools PlayerHD.
“I don't think you can write anything off – I know it might look bleak for them at the moment but they will bring a full team and have a right go so we will have to be prepared.
“They're a really good side who have been on a good run. I think we got a bit of taste of what to expect against Solihull the other week so we have got to be up for it.
“Monday was really disappointing so we need a reaction, regardless of the game and what is on it – we need the players to go out, roll their sleeves up and put in a performance the fans will be happy with.
“We had a decent result against Halifax and we wanted to finish strongly but at Barrow we didn't turn up so the Salford game is massive for more than one reason.”