May 7 AFC Bournemouth 2-2 Hartlepool United Att: 8620

In a winner makes the play-offs scenario, we could the preceeding 45 matches as our season hinged on the next 90 minutes against the side immediately above us in the League One table. The permutations were simple .... an AFCB win, we make the play-offs .... anything else meant that Hartlepool United make the play-offs! Such was the magnitude of this particular game!

Bournemouth started really well, and went for Hartlepool right from the start. Patience was rewarded when the ball was crossed in from the Bournemouth right by Wade Elliott to find Jamie Hayter in the centre who arrowed his header back across the keeper and in to the bottom left hand corner of the net (12 mins). Cue (premature) celebrations! If Hartlepool were planning to come down and pack their defence with a flat back 10, they now had to come out and make a game of it! Sure enough they did!!

On 20 minutes Hartlepool United levelled through Daly who was free to head home and across Neil Moss - bugger!

First half excitement wasn't over as Bournemouth managed to find a second goal on 31 minutes. Jamie Hayter was the grateful recipient as he headed the ball home in the same corner. This time the ball was fed across from a Stock left side corner. Bournemouth were clearly on top as a consistent period of pressure ensued. Unfortunately Hartlepool defended resolutely. Just before the break Bournemouth could have gone in 3-1 to the good. A rasping shot from Garreth O'Connor was fumbled by the Pool keeper, who gathered at the second attempt.

HT: 2-1

In the second half, we didn't seem to have the same amount of steam as we did in the first, which was sensed by our visitors. Twenty minutes in to the half saw Hartlepool level for the second time. Sweeney was clear to head in at the far post as the ball nestled in at the far post! Offside maybe? I couldn't tell from my vantage point over the half way line in the East Stand.

Spicer did produce an excellent run before the equaliser. He dodged several challenges down the left hand side. Was his cross handled? If it was the ref waived away appeals for a penalty. We did have another shout for a penalty, also waived away, as Hayter seemed to be bundled over in the penalty area. A Stock free kick whistled over the cross bar instead of underneath, and along with that, went our hopes and aspirations of a play-off place against Tranmere Rovers.

Difficult to pick out a man of the match this afternoon as there were quite a few fine individual performances. But for his 2-goals, I'll award the MOM to Jamie Hayter.

AFCB: Moss, Purches, Maher, Howe, Simek, O'Connor, Spicer, Stock, Elliott, Fletcher, Hayter
Subs: Stewart, Connell (on for Purches, 84), Rodrigues (on for O'Connor, 84), Browning (on for Simek, 89), Young

Andy Burton, Portsmouth