Hartlepool United 1 Luton Town 2

SAM COLLINS was in his third game as a (temporary) football manager, up against John Still managing for the 834th time.

And experience got the better of youth at Victoria Park as Luton inflicted a fifth Victoria Park defeat on Pools.

Still’s Luton are flying, this was their sixth win from seven unbeaten games. A week earlier Exeter faced Pools with four successive wins to their name before Collins registered his first win as a manager. Luton were, however, better than the Grecians and, as Collins admitted, did to Pools what they did to Exeter.

Will that victory at Exeter be the first of many? Collins’ future as a manager has yet to be decided, but he’s certainly made good progress and a positive impression.

Few, however, last as long in the game as Still, the 64-year-old who has the look of a used car salesman, but there’s far more to the wise one than the chat and cockney patter.

How long Collins is in charge of Pools remains to be seen. Chairman Ken Hodcroft will start his process of interviews shortly, he’s had two weeks since Colin Cooper quit.

Collins has lifted spirits at Victoria Park, is getting more from his players than the previous manager, and, despite this result, there’s an upturn in outlook around the place.

On Saturday, it was actually enjoyable watching a game of football at Victoria Park and that’s been all too rare not just this season, but going back as long as five years now.

This week, with away games at Accrington tomorrow and Cambridge on Saturday, will go a long way to shaping Collins’ future.

For now at least, he’s doing a positive job and he knows what he wants to do with the squad.

“It is different, trying to get your message across to the players on the pitch from the touchline and you look to some of the older ones to take that mantle on,’’ he admitted.

“I do think we lack leaders in our team. We are probably a couple short in regards to that.

“You look at Luton, they had Steve McNulty and Luke Wilkinson and if you look right throughout League Two, teams like Bury have Pablo Mills and people like McNulty.

“You need that in your team and we need a couple of players of that ilk.

“There are conversations going on all the time. If we can get the right players in then the club would, whether it is me or someone else does come in, then I do think we need two or three players just to strengthen.

“We need some leaders just to add to the group really – that would make a big difference.

“The squad is unbalanced, I would agree with that. If I was asked to do it (make signings) and thought I wanted to then I would want to address it.

“If it is not me, but someone else, then they would need to do that anyway.

“We are two or three players away from having a really good group.”

Collins has made some big calls so far with his squad and now it’s down to Hodcroft. The club’s chief executive rightly stated that the appointment will be “one of the biggest decisions the club has ever made” and the chairman is in the process of short-listing candidates.

Collins demanded his team started on the front foot against Luton and they almost went ahead when Charlie Wyke’s rasping shot was saved.

Wyke was tripped in the penalty area by Luke Wilkinson, but the penalty wasn’t awarded.

“It was a massive call for the referee not to give it,’’ said Collins. “I could see it that it was a stonewall penalty and a terrible decision.

“If they are supposed to give the advantage to the attacking team then they certainly didn’t then. - it was a penalty all day long.’’

Going in front makes all the difference to this squad of players. It gives them belief, a much needed commodity at Victoria Park; instead they fell one-down, a familiar feeling at Victoria Park.

And while they kept trying to get behind the Luton back four, they couldn’t get past Steve McNulty, a man mountain at the back.

Pools did, to a certain extent, make it easy for the centre-half, who (officially) weighs in at 14 stone by playing balls up towards the area.

The second goal, finishing Pools off, came when Neil Austin was harsly ruled to have dragged down Paul Benson – it was striker manhandling defender as much as anything else – and after Scott Flinders saved the free-kick, there wasn’t enough Pools players reacting to get back for the rebound which was knocked in.

Austin’s penalty did reduce the gap, but there wasn’t enough time for a leveller. Pools still have time on their side this season, providing the right appointment is made.