WHEN Hartlepool United play Morecambe it usually means a pivotal moment.

April 2014 and a win at Victoria Park brought League Two safety. March 2015 and a win at the Globe Arena kickstarted the Great Escape, the first of four successive victories to lift them to safety. April 2016 and a 5-2 away win made Pools safe from the threat of relegation.

A draw on Saturday, it was neither joyous nor pained.

Dave Jones said in the immediate aftermath it was a good point, perhaps his view changed 45 minutes later when upon leaving the ground, Newport’s delayed game at Exeter ended in an away win and the gap to the drop zone cut to only two points.

Five games to go, two points in front. Pools need a minimum of six points. There’s nothing to concern them in the opposition to come, but it is to be hoped they have done the job by the time they face champions-elect Doncaster on the last day of the season.

Carlisle at home on Good Friday and Leyton Orient on Monday are taking on added significance.

The Exiles have some momentum about them now they have dumped manager Graham Westley. Pools have taken only one point from the last 12 available, and that against the Shrimps, who had lost their last seven games going into this one.

It was a concern that Pools didn’t finish off the home side. A first-half of dominance brought only one goal, and in the second period, Jones’ side were forced back too often.

A second goal for Pools would surely have been enough to finish off the Shrimps. Instead the home side came out for the second 45 minutes with some drive about them.

Pools, with two up front, went more direct but it was meat and drink for the home centre-halves as Alex Whitmore nodded everything away.

Rhys Oates prefers playing up through the middle. First half and he missed two openings, first heading over the bar from a Nathan Thomas corner and then sweeping a weak shot into keeper Danijel Nizik from an angle.

Second-half and he charged into the area, showing the sort of drive which caused Exeter so many problems last month. He picked out Amond who prodded his shot loosely.

Next time Oates burst forward, it was to the byline, and he tried to score from a tight angle as the keeper came out on top him when a touch of composure and a look up could have brought a tap-in for Amond or Michael Woods.

At the end, Pools had their best chance. Before Nathan Thomas had a shot superbly saved by midfielder Lee Molineux which the referee somehow ignored, Nicky Featherstone should have had Pools in front.

It opened up for the midfielder on the edge of the area. A shot was on. Instead, he opted to pass and the ball was a wasted one.

Featherstone scored a glorious goal against the Shrimps earlier in the season, but it seemed shooting was an alien perception this time.

“He has to shoot,’’ said Jones. “Shoot. In front of goal, we try and score the perfect goal after working so hard to get there.’’

The manager added: “A hard-earned point? It’s a deserved one, should have been more. But football treats you like that sometimes and if we don’t cut out the mistakes we get punished and that’s what is happening.

“First half we dominated, but second was even matched and we gave away a second goal.

“To go two up I felt we would have got on top. We had that chance. We got in areas where we could do some harm, but final ball is letting us down, inside the box we pass instead of shooting.

“Sometimes we have to risk certain things. We have to make sure we get it on target rather than whipping things in.

“We go again at home now. We were comfortable as you can be first half, with a lot of the ball, but sometimes you don’t do the damage with it. We did the damage by scoring a good goal, but we needed more than one.

“We lost the grip of the game and it’s down to a lack of experience. Nothing else. We got into good situations four or five times today without making the most of it.

“Their manager will have had a go at them and it’s on our part down to a lack of experience.’’