HARTLEPOOL United are within touching distance of League One safety.

A nervous situation was made to look all the better with victory at Yeovil – a thoroughly deserved win that could have been more emphatic.

The situation at the bottom of League One has tightened up with both Brighton and Northampton winning, but with 50 points on the board and a superior goal difference to teams below them Pools are very nearly safe.

Manager Chris Turner was delighted with the performance and the win, but having been told of the other results said: “If we hadn’t have got the three points I would have been really deflated.

“But this was a huge result for us and gives us a little bit of breathing space and with the teams below us having to play each other they can’t all win.’’ Turner replaced Keigan Parker with Daniel Nardiello and the Blackpool loan striker justified the manager’s faith in him with a superb performance of controlled aggression, pace and touch.

After dominating the early stages Pools fell behind when an ineffective offside trap allowed Jonathan Obika space in the box and the on loan Spurs striker pulled the ball back to the unmarked Gavin Tomlin who made no mistake from six yards.

It was the worst possible start in a crucial game and it looked as though the Pools defence was in for a nervous day.

But within five minutes Pools were level when Nardiello was tripped by Lee Peltier in the area and despite the assistant referee flagging furiously, referee Jarnial Singh at first waved play on before giving the penalty.

Joel Porter rammed the ball into the bottom corner and suddenly the complexion of the game changed.

Sam Collins and Micky Nelson now produced a dominant phase winning every ball and tackle with Nelson forging forward on many occasions.

Ritchie Jones was proving dangerous wide on the right and both he and Nardiello saw efforts flash across the six yard area.

Porter was clearly tripped in the area by Terrell Forbes, but referee Singh had obviously given enough penalties for the day.

The home side were reduced to long range shooting and it was no surprise when Pools took the lead on the stroke of half time.

Nardiello cleverly held up the ball and fended off three defenders before slipping a pass to Andy Monkhouse whose pinpoint cross was nodded deftly home by Porter for his 23rd goal of the season.

“It was a gentle header because there wasn’t a lot on the cross, but I got my neck muscles working and found just the right spot to beat the keeper,’’ said Porter.

Pools now faced the task of keeping a clean sheet for 45 minutes to ensure the three points. History told everyone it was unlikely.

For ten minutes it was looking good with Pools dominating and Nardiello shooting just wide.

It was clear that Nardiello and Porter had the beating of the home defence if the ball was played into feet and it seemed only a matter of time before the lead was extended.

A sweeping move involving Gary Liddle, Porter and Nardiello saw the latter’s first time shot shave the post for what would have been a truly memorable goal.

But an innocuous looking free kick from wide on the right taken by Andros Townsend found its way into the net through a crowded area to bring the home side level.

“I was worried about the kick because it was in a dangerous area but there was so much movement in front of Jan Budtz that he never saw the ball until it was too late,’’ said Turner.

Once again the Pools defence had failed to cut out what looked a simple ball and within minutes the soft centre was exposed again by Obika and Tomlin.

Tomlin was clear on goal, and lifted the ball over Budtz but wide of the gaping net.

The man who started his career at Staines had failed to leave an indelible mark on the game.

Collins and Nelson then had a Keystone Cops moment when they ran into each other only to be rescued by Liddle.

But Pools continued to attack and when Ben Clark won an important ball to find Monkhouse the wide man yet again produced the perfect cross this time for Nardiello to head firmly into the top corner.

A couple of minutes later the lead was nearly extended when Collins’ header at a corner hit the bar with the defence all at sea.

When the final whistle went there was jubilation from the Pools players who ran across to thank the fans.

“They were magnificent all afternoon with non-stop singing and support and I was delighted to send them back home on a long journey with a great result and performance,’’ reflected Turner.