Tish: “We are ready to do the great escape.”

"I have never been in a relegation battle before," Tshibola told a local newspaper "This is my first time but it is all part of the experience.

"I can gain a lot from my time here, it is all about being a man, showing some guts and going out there and giving 100 per cent every time you pull that shirt on.

"We are 10 points adrift but there are still a lot of games left. If we keep playing like we did against Wycombe then the chances will come and I am confident we will get a win sooner, rather than later.

"I am more than positive that we will grab a couple of goals and get that win.

"Wycombe themselves did it last season. Never say die.

"We are ready to do the great escape."

The 20-year-old midfielder, on loan from Reading, also added "the Under-21 league is not a battle. This is a real battle. It is a fighting game, a men’s game every match.

"Under-21 is technical and you get more time on the ball but I had no second thoughts about coming to Hartlepool.

"It didn’t frighten me coming to a team bottom of the league."

Tshibola signed on a month's loan on Friday and, despite the temporary stay, Tshibola insists he will work hard for the side.

"With the work ethic and spirit we showed against Wycombe I am confident we can do well and start climbing the table. We have some good players. The lads are young and I have fitted straight in – they are a great bunch."