Full-time: Bury 1 Hartlepool United 0

GOALKEEPER, captain, elder statesman. Scott Flinders has more than one role at Hartlepool United.

And he knows all too well the seriousness of their situation. When he talks in this manner, it’s time for the others to take notice.

Defeat number 20 of the season arrived at Bury on Saturday. Another game thrown away, another game passed with no return.

How long before Pools hit the point of no return?

"I'm not sure about the other lads but the next two games are massive. You never know with the result, and the teams down there, but the next two are massive for us,’’ said Flinders, laying it on the line ahead of Saturday’s home game with Wimbledon and the trip to Dagenham two days later.

"I am captain now and you always feel more responsibility.’’

Pools defended well, in the main, at Bury, but threw the game away.

Marvin Morgan had the ball, but as soon as he was closed down he criminally played it straight to Danny Mayor. He was allowed to run unchallenged 40 yards to the area and his low shot was pushed out by Flinders. It rolled across the six yard box, by David Mirfin and Andrew Tutte ran onto it past Aaron Tshibola to net.

Pools shipped a similar goal in a similar outcome in losing at Southend before Moore’s appointment.

When the last rites are issued on the season, far too many occasions and on-field events like this will crop up.

Moore won’t give up the ghost, his positivity is keeping the team going. The manager often lamented the lack of spark in the dressing room on his arrival, but Flinders sees it differently now.

"The manager is a bubbly person and has a great spark about him,’’ he reflected. "He takes no prisoners, last Saturday he had a few people out.

"That is what football is about - it is a mans game and we won't sulk. He keeps the players on their toes.

"It is the business end of the season now so the quiet lads need to start being bubbly in themselves.

"We can't have quiet people in there now.

"A couple of the lads in the dressing room have been in this situation before, the horrible situation we got ourselves in last season.

"We are in deeper trouble now but the experienced lads really need to give the younger lads a positive attitude to take the next 14 games and see what the outcome is."

That outcome does seem inevitable, two wins in the next two games so essential.

Other relegation rivals lost on Saturday, another chance wasted to close that gap.

"The gaffer is brilliant, he has been round the block and has been in these positions before,’’ added Flinders. "He said to us we have to take a lot of positives from the game.

"But at the end of the day we have to start picking up some points.

"The other results had gone for us again, to look at that, is disappointing. One point or three could have helped claw it back.

"All we can do is move onto the next one.’’

Pools should have gone in front, Morgan played in by Michael Woods early on. But he looked edgy as he closed in on goal and fired straight at keeper Nick Pope.

It proved Pools’ clearest chance of the game, while they had a strong penalty appeal knocked back when Connor Smith was bundled over in the area after a Scott Harrison shot caused problems for shaky Pope.

Smith started ahead of Marlon Harewood, Moore seeking some movement and legs up front rather than two flatfooted and sluggish strikers. Smiths’ energy and enthusiasm stood out.

Moore said: “Connor did well, it was a hard decision for me. I looked at how we played up top last week, looked at the squad and wondered how we could get in behind defences

“I could have played Jordan Jones there, but Connor has done well for the reserves and impressed. He’s chased and harried and got in behind. The wide men needed more in those positions.

“We had good shape, 4-4-2 worked and we had the best chance and never took it.

“We had chances to clear it, so you can’t single out one player when we had four chances to clear it.

“I’m not in fouling people, but sometimes you have to take one for the team and regroup.’’