HARTLEPOOL UNITED last night managed to turn the most routine of victories into the most disappointing of draws.

After a first half which saw Pool go two up against limited opposition, the only talking point was how many Pool would rack up.

Instead, they conceded two goals in the opening ten minutes to chuck away two vital points in the race for the play-offs.

Three points against the all-but relegated opposition would have put Pool fourth and in a strong position to make the play-offs.

It should have been six points from six at home after Saturday's impressive win over Swindon.

Instead everyone departed feeling deflated. Bournemouth's win at Bristol City meant Pool have dropped a place, but they have only have themselves to blame.

Peterborough have taken four points from Pool this season and Pool's performance at London Road was as insipid as their second half show last night.

Adam Boyd was Pool's best first-half performer. On the halfway line he turned Chris Kanu inside out. Then outside and back inside to go past the wing back.

It was the sort of skill Kanu might have witnessed close up on many occasions in his formative years - his brother, of Arsenal and West Brom fame, would have been proud of it.

Unfortunately for Boyd, his pass was run out of play by Tony Sweeney.

There were a couple of scares for Pool soon afterwards, both from crosses from the right side by David Farrell. First Steve Thomson failed to connect inside the six yard area, before Wayne Purser did exactly the same.

Apart from a second piece of sublime skill from Boyd while surrounded by a pack of visiting shirts as he sat on the turf, there was little to cheer for the disappointing crowd of 4,579 until Porter struck.

The ball landed at Chris Westwood's feet inside the penalty area and his back-heel was right out of the Boyd book of tricks.

It fell for Porter and he thumped it high through Mark Tyler's hands for goal number 15 of the season.

The goal proved the kickstart for Pool to dominate. Boyd danced through and Porter's touch was deflected wide, before Sweeney rose high to head over the bar.

Pool were doing all the pressing and the second goal duly came.

Sweeney raced on to a low through ball and, while it looked 60-40 in Tyler's favour, when the keeper went to ground Sweeney did likewise and somehow got there first to poke the ball over the line.

Peterborough can be relegated at the weekend if they lose at Blackpool and it's easy to see why on their first-half display.

They had plenty of effort and plenty of catapult throws from Andy Legg, but little else.

Posh by name, but not by nature, and League Two beckons. Or so it seemed until on came two substitutes at the break and they earned a swift reward.

Richard Logan latched on to a loose ball 25 yards out and fired a dipping volley beyond Provett's dive into the corner of the net.

Peterborough gained some momentum from the goal and it wasn't long before they levelled.

Logan and fellow replacement Callum Willock were doing just what Andy Clarke and Wayne Purser weren't doing and proving a nuisance.

After Logan bagged the first, Willock netted the second. Legg's corner was headed on and Willock was lingering inside the six-yard area to turn the ball home.

Pool were worried on 65 minutes when Willock forced the ball over the line, only for referee Darren Drysdale to rule it out for a foul.

After seeing the impact Peterborough's two substitutes had, Pool made their first change with Jon Daly replacing Butler.

The former Sunderland winger made a big impression at the weekend, but was disappointing last night and his team-mates weren't much better in the second-half.

With the last 15 minutes likely to go a long way towards shaping the rest of Pool's season, Boyd's deft back-flick inside the box from a cross by substitute Steven Istead was goalbound, but Tyler saved.

The leading scorer then drilled a 20-yard strike at goal and Andrew Boucaud deflected it wide.

The last chance fell for Clark inside the penalty box, but he missed his shot and pushed the loose ball wide.

It was that sort of night.

Hartlepool United 2 - 2 Peterborough United

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