Pool have plenty of experience for the saga of the play-offs

Losing at Doncaster on Saturday means there's a good chance their season's fate will hinge on the final day of action.

And, given their track record, it would hardly be a surprise if Neale Cooper's side have to make the trek to Bournemouth on Saturday, May 7 with it all to play for.

A win over Walsall in the final home league game of the season is a must, but it might not be enough to avoid a final day showdown.

In simple terms, if Pool beat Walsall and Sheffield Wednesday lose at Hull, or Bournemouth at Bradford, the last day will be a stress-free one.

By then, attentions can be turned to getting a victory in a play-off game at the tenth attempt.

Otherwise it's all down to Dean Court and Pool will pray their last day play-off record stands intact.

There's been four play-off campaigns and a promotion in the last five years and only once have Pool gone into the last game of the season with nothing at stake, that was in 2001 when the made the play-offs in the penultimate game by virtue of a win at Kidderminster.

So why should this campaign, even though Pool are still in fourth place in League One, be any different?

In 2000, Pool had to win at Hull and hoped Cheltenham lost to get in the play-offs. They managed it.

In 2002, they needed to win at Exeter to make it - another job done - 12 months later and the Division Three title was theirs if they won at Rushden on the final day. That, however, wasn't to be - the damage had already been done by wasting a 14-point lead at the top.

Last year, both Pool and Swindon needed a point to see each other into the top six and a 1-1 scoreline suited everyone at the County Ground.

On Saturday, Sheffield Wednesday might have been disappointed to draw at home to Stockport, but, in the bizarre world of the League One play-off zone, it was enough to lift them up from seventh to fifth.

Bournemouth and Brentford defeats at home to Peterborough and Huddersfield were as surprising as they were welcome.

"It's been a very strange day with everyone dropping points,'' said Cooper. "It was a hard game for us, they are very lively, like they were in the game at our place earlier in the season.

"I think the difference was Eifion (Williams) missing a good chance. If that went in, then we are in front and it's a different game.

"There's no excuses, but six or seven of the boys have been suffering from a virus and maybe it showed in the later stages of the game.

"Doncaster play at a high tempo, they work hard, and we were fortunate to beat them at our place.

"It's strange that other results have all gone like ours. But I cannot criticise the boys for this performance because they lost.

"They have worked extremely hard all year and, of course, they are disappointed.''

He added: "It's not down to nerves at this stage of the season, we had a great atmosphere in the dressing room before the game.

"There's every chance it will boil down to the final game and it's still in our hands, we have to make the most of the opportunity we have.

"I'm not going to use the virus or tiredness as an excuse at this stage of the season, other managers do it and they get hammered for it and that's not the case with us.

"The boys are hurting after this result, we had great support yet again and didn't perform for them."

There's still an outside chance that Rovers can still make the play-offs and Pool will be glad to hear it would take an unlikely sequence of results for that to happen.

In the two games this season, Rovers have looked as good as anyone in the division.

Pool needed two late goals to overturn a one-goal deficit at Victoria Park last November , but on this occasion rarely threatened.

Wary of the threat of Adam Boyd, the home back four played a deep line, not allowing the 26-goal striker the chance to tear off into space behind them.

Pool only got through on two occasions. First Boyd was wrongly flagged offside late after Williams closed down Nick Fenton, who under pressure turned the ball into Boyd's path.

The second time Boyd flicked the ball over for Williams to latch onto.

He should have marked his 150th Pool appearance with a goal, but wanted too much time on the ball and, by the time he shaped to shoot, two red shirts and the keeper had closed him down. Goalkeeper Iain Turner stopped with his legs.

Minutes later, Lewis Guy, formerly with Newcastle, went past a rack of challenges on the left, cut the ball across goal and Ricky Ravenhill knocked the ball past Dimi Konstantopoulos as the keeper scrambled across his line.

Doncaster v Hartlepool once upon a time used to be part of the Division Four staple diet. The pair were always at the wrong end of the league, but it's a different story now.

Since Pool's last visit to Belle Vue, Rovers have been in the Conference, bouncing back with back to back titles, while Pool have been on an upward curve.

On that day in 1997, Pool were two goals behind after a brace from Prince Moncreiff - surely the greatest name in the history of English football - before scrambling two late goals.

This time the only late goal went against Pool, Leo Fortune-West poking the ball over the line from close range.

Pool had switched to a more open 3-4-3 set-up by then, but even with three strikers and Eifion Williams on the flank, their threat was minimal.

Joel Porter and his link-up with Boyd was sorely missed and Cooper is hoping he will be fit for Walsall at the weekend.

Result: Doncaster Rovers 2 Hartlepool United 0.

Read more about Hartlepool here.