MICK WADSWORTH admits the pressure to end his side’s winless run is ever-growing.

Tuesday’s 4-0 loss at Oldham means Pools have gone seven games without a win and have conceded an alarming 15 goals in their last four away games in league and FA Cup.

They started 2011 in touch of the play-offs, but need to record a victory against Colchester at Victoria Park on Saturday to halt the slide and get closer to the 52 point barrier.

“We need a win and the pressure builds the longer you don’t have it. I look at it that thank goodness we had a good run because if we didn’t we would be in a right pickle,’’ said the coach.

“Saturday is a tough one and we’ve a run of home games to come, but I don’t look too far ahead.

“Colchester and Brighton away next weekend are two tough, good games to come.’’ Wadsworth had his players sit through a re-run of Tuesday’s game yesterday to try and iron out the mistakes that littered the display.

“We wrap this one up and put it behind us, but we also ask why and look at the stats and the DVD and group performance.

Are we doing the job right in midfield? Are the back four right? Are we getting the strikers in? We look at it all,’’ he said.

Pools ended 2010 with five successive wins and are in mid-table in League One ahead of the weekend. But Wadsworth will put his players through their paces in training to get back on track.

“All the goals were disappointing, you can always find a problem or mistake or where we could have done better,’’ he said.

“We have been up and down at home, but now have to make it tough for the opposition.

Maybe we have to be less expansive, but we need to get the defence sorted – and it’s been terrific at times. We can’t win games without a strong defensive strategy from front to back, it’s a team thing.

“I will think about the options, there’s no magic wand it’s about hard work and being honest with each other and seeing what’s gone wrong in this period and piecing it all together.

“I’ll sit down with Micky Barron and Ritchie Humphreys and have a good look at it.

“We cannot let it slip away, we have been in a very good position.

“We don’t want to slip, don’t need to and will work hard for it. We look at the DVD and show them the bits that are important – it may be that we look at a lot of it this time. Sometimes it’s not much, but things have happened of late that are a bit consistent and we need to address that.’’