Hartlepool United 1, MK Dons 0.

IN January 2005, Antony Sweeney scored the best goal of his career against Milton Keynes Dons at Victoria Park.

Latching onto Hugh Robertson's raking pass, he turned and sent a passed volley high into the net in the same movement to help Pools to a 5-1 win.

Two years on, the Hartlepool United midfielder scored arguably the most crucial of the 25 he has bagged for the club.

Only the goal at Bournemouth on the last day of the 2004/5 season which secured Pools place in the play-offs could have greater significance than the one which made it ten wins from 11 games on Saturday.

As Ritchie Humphreys took possession on halfway and rolled a pass into Andy Monkhouse, Sweeney burst forward unchecked from midfield in trademark style, latched onto Monkhouse's pass and finished a low shot into the net.

It meant Pools stay in fifth place, but now just a point off the promotion spots. They are five points in front of sixth spot and a healthy 13 in front of the clubs looking at the play-off zone from the outside.

The importance of Pools beating one of the few teams in front of them can not be underestimated. A fascinating run of 31 points from 33 available, 15 goals scored and a paltry two goals conceded has jet propelled Danny Wilson's side from lower/mid-table to within sniffing distance of top spot.

Playing a crucial role at the heart of it has been Sweeney. Now free of the shackles which restricted his natural game last season, he is playing with the same freedom which brought him 14 goals a couple of seasons ago.

Along with some of the old guard at Victoria Park - Micky Barron and Eifion Williams were equally impressive on Saturday and have been during the current run - Sweeney is back to his best.

"I'm really enjoying my football again,'' admitted the 23-year-old, who has 140 Pools outings to his name. "Last season was a really tough one for me, I cannot put my finger on what it was but we were struggling as a team as well last season. I was pretty disappointed with my overall game and the season as a whole.

"This was a vital win, we are both up there and we haven't gone past them yet, but it really closes the gap on the teams who are above us in the table.

"It's been a good day for us again.

"We have been on an unbelievable run of late and I think we have blew a few teams out of the water considering where we were in the table at the start of it and at the start of the season.

"It's a pity we didn't start the season better because we would have been right up there instead of being in fifth. When you look at the start and the squad of players we had here we all fancied our chances from the off of having a great season.

"That's not to say it won't be, but the start was tough to get going. Now we have found our feet the wins are coming.''

Sweeney's second-half goal was enough, but Pools - and the midfielder - could have had more.

With Andy Monkhouse and James Brown on right and left wings causing constant problems out wide as they cut inside rather than taking on the full-backs on the outside it was Pools who had all the chances, second half especially.

Williams smashed a shot against the bar in first-half injury time after latching onto a flick from the industrious and ever-willing Richie Barker.

And that set the tone as Pools stepped up a notch after the break. Sweeney, Williams and Barker all went close but all were denied by keeper Lee Harper.

"The goal came from a really well weighted pass from Monkey, it was rolled right into my path,'' said Sweeney. "But I could have had a couple more before that as well, especially just before the goal.

"It was a good chance but I think I tried to put my foot through it too hard and it flew away. With the wind I could have taken a bit of pace off it, but thankfully I got another chance soon after - luckily enough it was the winner.

"A couple of years ago I scored against the same opposition and it was probably my best-ever goal. On Saturday the kit man said to me before the game he fancied me to score after what happened the other year, thankfully he was right.

"The chance I missed on Saturday was a bit similar to the one I got the other year, a turn on the volley. It didn't work this time, but at least I got another chance soon after.''

At the other end, Dimi Konstantopoulos had one save to make, a shot straight down his throat from distance and it's one goal conceded in 952 minutes of football.

Pools will be without Micky Nelson on Saturday after he was booked following a 17-man brawl. Keith Andrews lunged in on Lee Bullock and players aplenty from both sides raced in.

Referee Scott Mathieson sensibly kept his red card locked away and booked four.

Barker was the last to be cautioned - two from each side - and was bemused after he spent the incident being held in a textbook headlock by Izale McLeod.

The striker was red carded towards the end, as a stray arm caught Nelson and, for a player rated in excess of £1m, the front man showed little else.

But not many strikers manage to make any impression on the Pools rearguard these days.