LAST time Hartlepool United drew 0-0 at Rochdale, it was a point earned along the road that led to promotion.

In April 1991 there were four games to go and the point helped Pool to fourth spot and a promotion party to cap it all off.

This time around, there are seven games to go and the point might not prove enough in the race for a play-off place.

But it just might have given Pool a glimpse of the way ahead for a promotion assault next season.

Nobody is officially writing off this campaign just yet. There's 21 points to go for and it's not beyond the realms that Pool could finish in the top seven.

Unlikely maybe, especially if six points aren't in the bag in the next two games from encounters with Carlisle tomorrow and Macclesfield at Victoria Park on Friday.

The hint of what might come lies in the formation.

On Saturday, Pool reverted back to three central defenders and kept a clean sheet, the last of which was at Bristol Rovers on March 5.

March 5 was also the last time Pool played with three at the back.

Plymouth have raced towards the Division Three title playing 4-4-2 at home and adopting a more defensive formation on the road and there's every chance Pool could do the same.

At home, the 4-4-2 system has been a revelation, Chris Turner's brand of free flowing, all-out attacking football has brought goals, goals and more goals. Away from home, however, it's been a different story.

The passing game has been there, the flowing football has been there, but unfortunatley there has been little reward.

Look at the two previous away games at Kidderminster and Cheltenham. Both ended in defeat after Pool had dominated the opening half and each reverse has harmed Pool's play-off chances.

So on Saturday Turner reverted back to the line-up that had served him so well in the past two seasons, but was - and the results justify it - ditched when Pool found themselves at the foot of the table in November.

Part of the thinking will surely have been to keep gangly striker Clive Platt under wraps; but just like at Bristol Rovers when Turner was worried about the threat of Nathan Ellington, the forward in question didn't start.

"We changed formation to try and keep a clean sheet and that's what we have done and we created the best chances of the game as well,'' said Turner.

"It is something we can think about for next season. We have played some great football with 4-4-2 and at home we have to attack but away we haven't picked up enough points.

"I looked at one of our programmes on Saturday morning, it was after we had played after 12 games and at the time Rochdale were 19 points ahead of us - that's a hell of a lot of points to recover over 30-odd games and really we could have caught them up with a bit of luck.

"It would have been great if Watson had scored at the far post and we won 1-0 but I felt we deserved it.''

Never mind would have been great, it should have been great. Gordon Watson missed a chance he could put away with his eyes closed.

People say he never scores tap ins and all his goals are stunners; on Saturday he should have been celebrating goal number 15 with the simplest of finishes.

Paul Smith's teasing cross from the left found Watson at the far post and instead of whacking the ball into the top corner from 25-yards or whipping a volley in off the crossbar he proved he is as human as the rest of us when he sidefooted against the post from six yards.

Rochdale had also hit the bar when lively substitute Steve Jones cut inside Chris Westwood, outside Micky Barron and clipped a shot over Anthony Williams onto the woodwork.

Pool created a string of good chances against a side that has never dropped out of the top seven all season. All-action Darrell Clarke picked up Ritchie Humphreys' first-time flick, but lacked the power to trouble nervy keeper Matthew Gilks before the custodian redeemed himself for a couple of dodgy moments when he tipped Humphreys' dipping volley over the bar.

Wing back Paul Arnison was played into space behind the defence, but instead of celebrating a goal to go with baby Harry who arrived on the scene last Tuesday, Arnison pushed his shot wide of the far post.

Turner added: "I thought we dominated the game to be fair. My only concern was that big Clive Platt goes on, they lob one in the box and something comes off him, but I thought we defended magnificently.

"Darrell Clarke proved he can be a Tommy Miller type of player, he got in behind the strikers and had some good possession. I was very pleased with him.

"I thought there was only one team going to win the game and we deserved to as well. We've come home from an away game and not really got the result that we have deserved. In the Kidderminster game we outpassed them and outplayed them in the first half; this time we still had plenty of the ball. At any other time of the season, a point like this away from home is excellent, but we know what is needed.

"I'm disappointed but not that let down because of the performance."

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