THE images of Swansea Harriers runner Matthew Rees helping David Wyeth over the line in the London Marathon have dominated social media and news channels over the past two days.

Rees’ selfless decision to sacrifice a better finishing time to come to the aid of a fellow runner in distress just 200 metres before the end of Sunday’s race have been widely praised, and rightly so.

The Welshman’s actions have been hailed as a mark of true sportsmanship and for many they represent ‘what sport should be all about’ but Newport County AFC must do the exact opposite as their own race enters the home straight.

Only those with the hardest of hearts (or Darlington fans) could fail to have sympathy for Hartlepool United as their legs wobble and they collapse to the ground with just two games to go in the League Two relegation battle.

But County, after plenty of stumbles of their own, have found a mightily impressive second wind under caretaker manager Michael Flynn.

Saturday’s superb 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley stopped the Lancashire flyers in their tracks and saw the Exiles finally overtake stricken Pools.

And Flynn’s men know now that they must be ruthless. They must not look back until they’ve crossed that line in 22nd place.

As laudable and heart-warming as those scenes on The Mall were, the essence of sport is competition – there must be winners and losers.

And there is precious little room for peace, love and understanding in a fight for survival at the very bottom of the Football League.

The Exiles can finish the job in Cumbria this weekend if they can record a sixth successive victory over Carlisle United, who have been running through treacle for weeks, and Hartlepool fail to win at fellow strugglers Cheltenham Town.

Last week I predicted Flynn’s men would get a point at best against play-off hopefuls Stanley and that they could get all three at Carlisle.

And, after witnessing the sheer determination and stunning collective will to succeed that marked Saturday’s win, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they did get the job done this weekend.

But every football fan knows that this game is not as simple as that.

Just when you think you’ve cracked it, there’s often another kick in the teeth waiting for you – another hurdle to overcome.

After defeats to bottom club Leyton Orient and managerless Barnet, it’s tempting to think that Hartlepool’s race is run.

But they pulled off their own Great Escape in 2015 and yesterday’s parting of the ways with Dave Jones – after an extraordinary intervention from Jeff Stelling – shows that they haven’t given up the fight just yet.

Pools chairman Gary Coxall certainly believes his team can still catch County.

“We’re more than capable,” he said after Jones’ departure by ‘mutual consent’.

“I won’t have that we’re the second-worst team in the League – we’re not, we’re nowhere near that.

“We’ve got two games where we can really make a difference and equal the infamous Great Escape.

“In a perverse sort of way the pressure is off us a little bit because we’re now in the bottom two.

“Now the pressure is on the teams above us; can they maintain it?

“And it’s up to us to put the pressure on, let’s drag them back into it and put the pressure on them.

“They haven’t got easy games and if we play to our full potential our games are a lot easier.

“This is now a mini-competition that we can win. Believe that and we’ll do it.”

After spending an astonishing 207 days in the bottom two this season, County are finally in charge of their own destiny.

And that does inevitably change the psychology of the situation.

They are no longer the chasers and, as Flynn said on Saturday: “Getting this close now and not doing it would be heart-breaking for myself and the club.”

Hartlepool will now be managed by Matthew Bates, Billy Paynter, Stuart Parnaby and Ian Gallagher and hopefully that makes for a coalition of chaos rather than strong, stable leadership.

But if they do somehow manage to rise like Lazarus and beat Cheltenham they will take the fight to the final day, no matter what County do.

A Hartlepool victory and a defeat for the Exiles in Cumbria is the worst possible outcome this weekend but even that would not be a total disaster.

That would leave Flynn’s men on 45 points, Pools on 46 and Cheltenham on 47.

And, while Notts County come to Rodney Parade with nothing to play for, Hartlepool host leaders Doncaster Rovers on the final day and Cheltenham go to third-placed Portsmouth.

Donny and Pompey could both be fighting for the title, whereas the Exiles would be confident of earning a third straight win on home soil (and sand).

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, however.

It’s easier said than done but County have to sprint over that line and then we can all look forward to one long party on Parade from start to finish on May 6.