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Clearing the hurdle that was relegation rivals Swindon Town would have put Pool in an attractive position as the relegation race enters the final furlong.

They hit the front against the team which Willie Carson chairs, but couldn't hold on.

And now, after dropping into the bottom four, they face an anxious time in the closing weeks of the season.

But the screens haven't been put up around Pool yet. When it's squeaky bum time, Pool love nothing more than making everyone sweat.

They could have won this one - although Swindon will claim the same - and home performances have been upbeat.

Maximum returns from games with Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Port Vale would go a long, long way to securing a spot in League One.

Two seasons ago a draw on the final day of the season was enough for both sides to secure a play-off spot.

Whether this is a good point or not for either side is open to conjecture.

It's five draws from Paul Stephenson's ten games in temporary charge at Victoria Park and at least this stalemate meant one of their adversaries didn't earn three points.

But, worryingly for Pool, both Rotherham and Yeovil did. Even Milton Keynes, apparently doomed, won at Oldham and with their next two games against Swindon and Pool they will see a chance to get out of bother.

Tomorrow comes Pool's game in hand, a trip to Colchester. They are in fourth place, but have stuttered since facing Chelsea in the FA Cup in mid-February and Stephenson's hope and belief that a win might come when the others just don't expect it will be put to the test at Layer Road.

Ritchie Humphreys' second goal of the season - and second from a free-kick - gave Pool the lead, but again they couldn't find another, vital, goal.

Since putting three past Gillingham on November 1, they have only scored more than one in a game on two occasions.

A second on Saturday would surely have killed off a Swindon team who were every bit as bad as they were at Victoria Park on January 2.

But, just like on that day, they were allowed back into the game and levelled.

"I think Swindon were there to be beaten and, yes, we could have won it without a doubt,'' said Stephenson. "Now we've another away game and make sure we are solid and play when we get the chance to play.

"We've got to be prepared to play and have the bottle to play. Away from home, this was a point gained.

"When we got the ball to the wingers we were dangerous, but we didn't do it enough in the second half. We needed to get the ball wide and if we had done that we could have come out on top.

"We didn't get Tommy Butler in the game enough.

"Colchester are a team who get the ball forward quickly. We've got to make sure we are up for it and get the ball on the floor - that's how we've been hurting teams in the last few weeks and that's got to be our game.''

He added: "We've got to look for a second goal and not rest on our laurels. Their's was a decent goal, but we probably had the superiority to get a second.

"We had a spell of corners and pressure and that's pleasing.''

Against a back three which included in Steve Jenkins, a defender with all the pace of H'Angus the Monkey after a Saturday night down Church Street, Michael Proctor and Lee Bullock both had chances before Humphreys opened the scoring.

Proctor's shot was bounced just wide of the far stick, Bullock's blocked by an outstretched leg of keeper Rhys Evans.

Pool hadn't scored away from home since Eifion Williams equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Swansea on January 21.

By the time Humphreys netted on Saturday, over 390 minutes had passed since a goal on the road.

His free-kick deflected off the Swindon wall and ended in the far side of the net.

Minutes later Matty Robson got into the area and shot across Evans, but the keeper saved.

In their previous game with Oldham, Pool had the lead before conceding a penalty in injury- time. On Saturday, Pool had the lead before conceding a penalty in time added on.

Stephen Turnbull held back Jamie Cureton.

"I think we deserved to be in front at half-time,'' said Stephenson. "But they got a penalty in injury time and I thought 'here we go again'.

"I thought we were going to go in dejected, but Dimi made a good save.''

As much as Konstantopoulos saved, Cureton's penalty was rotten.

The leveller came when Aaron Brown's deep cross was put back into the area by Jack Smith and Lee Peacock turned it in.

Peacock, all style and no substance, flatters to deceive too often. Typical of Pool's fortunes that he scored only his second goal since moving from Sheffield Wednesday in January.

Tails up, the Robins took the game to Pool and it needed a short spell of stout defending to keep them out.

Then Pool got back on top, forced a string of corners which saw Micky Nelson's header knocked off the line, Proctor chased down Evans, stuck a foot in the way, and his deflection headed at goal, but, typical of his luck, it fell short of the line.

Then in injury-time, the ball fell to Proctor in the area. He took a touch, tried to smash the ball through the net and instead cleared the bar.

Stephenson concluded: "In the second half, we had to keep things going in the same way.

"But we didn't quite pass it as well as we are capable of. In the last 15 minutes we did and we opened them up again. We had chances in that time and Michael Proctor almost scored - he deserved a goal for his efforts.

"He will eventually get his rewards and I said that to him. He's got to keep believing in what he does and it would have been nice for him to get that one at the end.''

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