Hartlepool boss Neale Cooper believes his side will head into a "defining game" when they meet fellow strugglers Bury on Tuesday night.
Two points separate the bottom two in League One ahead of the clash and Cooper insists his team cannot afford to lose.
"It's a cup final," he told the Hartlepool Mail. "Losing is not an option, it's huge. This could be a defining game for us.
"Yes, they're struggling too, but forget about them, this is about Hartlepool United and what we do and what team turns up.
"They have to be brave enough and be more positive - when there's 50,000 baying for blood, that's pressure.
"They've got to show more. In our position it's down to confidence and players who should be winning games for us are struggling. It's very hard at the moment but we have to try and lift each other."
