WHILE memories of Hartlepool United's previous visit to Bristol City will remain for years to come, their emotional return to the south west yesterday will take far less time to forget.

Back in May, it was at Ashton Gate where Pool were so cruelly denied a place in the Second Division play-off final.

Late goals from Marc Goodfellow and Christian Roberts ensured the Robins flew to Cardiff and not Pool.

While Pool may have felt they had a score to settle, yesterday's League One encounter was a far cry from the high drama of that fateful night.

Neale Cooper's men huffed and puffed their way to their first away draw of the season, in a game in which both defences came out with plenty of credit.

But this season's awful away record is slowly being put to bed and Pool have now taken four points from their last two away days and stand in good stead for the New Year's Day trip to Barnsley.

And, after Pool's first goalless draw since the blank at Tranmere last January, Cooper said: "We came here last year and got a good point in the league and obviously it was disappointing to lose like we did in the play-offs to them.

"Our away form hasn't been good this season but we came here on the back of a 5-1 win at Wrexham. We've now won three and drawn one, which is very important during this period.

"A lot of the boys have been feeling under the weather and that's why I took Joel and Adam off at half-time.

"We were hanging on at the end, but I thought we defended really well.

"I thought Westwood and Nelson were a different class at the back for us."

Nelson has requested a move away from Victoria Park after a contract dispute and Cooper admitted: "I decided to give Micky some time off because I didn't feel that he was mentally right.

"Since he's done that he has been playing very well.

"He put in a transfer request, but since he's been back he's been excellent for us.''

The opening exchanges of yesterday's clash were far more assured than the ancient speaker system, which blighted a local opera singers rendition of Nessun Dorma before kick-off.

The home side appeared keen to take the game by the scruff of the neck, with Leroy Leita giving Jack Ross plenty to think about on City's left flank.

In the sixth minute home keeper Steve Phillips had to be quick off his line to clear Danny Coles' pass back with Joel Porter giving chase.

At the other end Lita recorded the first effort on goal a minute later, snapping a shot tamely at Dimi Konstantopoulos.

With both defences cancelling each other out in the opening blows, chances in front of goal were at a premium.

Indeed, with an army of red shirts facing him, midfielder Mark Tinkler tried his luck from range, dragging his 35-yard effort well wide of Phillips' goal.

City stepped up a gear in the 20th minute and Micky Nelson had to be alert to block Paul Heffernan's goal-bound attempt from ten yards.

It wasn't until the 23rd minute that referee Richard Beeby awarded the first free-kick. It was that sort of game.

And from the resultant set-piece Nelson rose highest, only to direct Hugh Robertson's cross wide.

On the half hour mark and after a patient build-up from the visitors, Robertson - with his less favoured right foot - found space on the edge of the City area, before poking the ball wide.

Chris Westwood came to Pools' rescue moments later.

Micky Bell's free-kick from the right was flicked on by Danny Coles and cleared off the line by the defender.

Cooper raised a few eyebrows when the sides emerged from the tunnel for the second half. After a largely ineffective first half, strike partners Porter and Boyd were replaced by teenagers Andrew Appleby and Steven Istead.

And, while the visitors began the second-half in confident mood, it was City who should have taken the lead early in the second half, with Lita looping his header onto the roof of the net when Konstantopoulos looked beaten.

With pressure increasing on the Pool defence, Nelson was in the right place to charge down Coles' strike on goal from inside the area.

In the 70th minute substitute Istead almost caught Phillips off the line with an audacious 35-yard lob, which the keeper did well to tip over.

And, with a quarter of an hour remaining, Phillips looked beaten when Tinkler flashed the ball across the face of goal from long range.

Not for the first time in the game scoring opportunities were restricted to long-range efforts and Matthew Hill failed to trouble Konstantopoulos with a speculative effort from 25 yards out.

The Robins excelled late on n search of that elusive winner, and substitute Dave Cotterill showed good skill before firing straight at Konstantopoulos.

Result: Bristol City 0 Hartlepool 0.

Read more about Hartlepool here.