HARTLEPOOL United salvaged a scrappy draw last night as they failed to get the better of relegation-threatened Stockport.

Eifion Williams' 13th goal of the season, a cracking shot from 20 yards, gave Pool the lead. But some slack defensive play gifted the visitors two goals in as many first half minutes.

Pool have not lost successive League games at Victoria Park since losing to Darlington and Cheltenham in September 2001, but for long periods it looked as if Stockport could emulate QPR last Saturday and beat Pool on home turf.

Joel Porter's tap-in avoided Pool's second home defeat in as many games, but once again they showed how much they miss Gavin Strachan, the body in midfield to knit their passing together and keep the ball moving.

He looked on from the stand as Pool gave a disjointed performance.

Porter wasted a glorious chance to put Pool in front after just five minutes when he passed instead of shooting, but five minutes later, Williams showed his teammate how it is done.

Scott Walker, part of a three-man defence, nodded the ball on for the striker, whose touch took him across the County rearguard and he confidently thumped a low drive across Spencer into the corner of the net.

It didn't take long for Williams to set up what should have been a second when his turn inside full-back Danny Adams created an opening and his low cross flew across the face of goal.

But when a long thump upfield by keeper Spencer went over Chris Westwood's head, it was the start of a nightmare couple of minutes for Pool.

When Walker slid in to handle a low Aaron Wilbraham cross, referee Phil Prosser pointed to the spot and Rickie Lambert slammed the ball home.

Seconds later, Walker missed another long punt by Spencer and Jon Daly nipped in to get to the ball before Jim Provett and head into the net.

Williams broke beyond the defence but stuttered as he closed in on goal and the chance went begging.

Mark Tinkler hobbled off just before half-time, with Adam Boyd, so often looking on from the outside at Victoria Park, given a rare chance to impress after his proposed move to Boston failed to materialise.

From a Hugh Robertson corner on 48 minutes, Neil Danns thumped a header against a post and Jim Goodwin cleared off the line.

The equaliser arrived when Williams' hard work earned a free-kick that Hugh Robertson belted through the wall and keeper Spencer pushed out into the path of Porter, who netted his second goal in as many games.

Spencer redeemed himself when Robertson whipped another set-piece from an identical position at goal and the keeper clawed it out of the top corner.

Pool were looking much more dangerous in attack, helped by Boyd's clever probing from midfield, but still had the wobbles in defence and Daly fired wide from a good position.

County could have won it after 89 minutes, but Abraham planted a free header wide from eight yards.

But Pool had the best chance to pinch the points when Porter's close-range shot was kept out by Spencer.

* Winger Chris Shuker, who recently spent three months on loan at Pool, is set to sign a two-year contract with Barnsley.