MARK Tinkler ended a near 12-month barron spell on Saturday, with his first goal since last December.

The midfielder netted the only goal at Bradford, but it was his first since a 5-1 FA Cup win over Aldershot on December 4, 2004.

His previous League One goal came in mid-September 2004 in a win over Torquay.

Yet Tinkler's goal record at Victoria Park since moving to the club five years ago isn't a bad one.

He netted 13 times as Pool were promoted in 2003 and has 36 strikes to his name.

"It's a bit of a rare goal for me these days ,'' he admitted. "I think they've all dried up for me now.

"It makes up for my miss in front of goal at Gillingham last week. It's nice to get on the scoresheet like that, but the main thing is that we won again and stopped the run of two defeats.

"I've scored a few for the club since I came here, but it's a bit different now. I'm playing more of a different role and sitting in deep.''

Tinkler's best scoring came in the promotion season when Tommy Widdrington played the holding role, giving Tinkler the freedom to roam.

Now the roles are reversed with Tony Sweeney foraging forward and Tinkler sitting deep.

"Sweens is the one getting foward all the time and I just hang back while he goes up,'' he said.

"If he keeps scoring as many goals as he is then I'll let him get on with it to be fair.

"He's been scoring goals on a regular basis since he came into the team and he can run all day as well. He's got a great engine on him and will get up and down all day.''

Tinkler's goal secured Pool's fifth win from seven games and the Bishop Auckland-born 31-year-old admitted: "It was a great ball in by Ritchie for the goal, it really hung up there. I got in between a couple of players and headed it in - I wasn't going to miss from there.

"We started really well and even in the first couple of minutes penned them back in their own box, as we worked hard and closed them down which set the tone.

"We continued to work our socks off all day and had some good possession, but I think in the second-half we might have given the ball away a bit too much at times.

"The difference was that when we lost the ball we were determined to win it back straight away and our workrate was very good.

"We've won five from seven now, which is a great run. We should have won at Gillingham with the chances we had and I don't think we deserved to lose to Brentford either, but we're off again now.''

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