By Charlie Summerbell
May 1 2011

Scott Flinders mistakes are almost as rare as Scott Flinders goals, but he managed both in the space of 90 minutes as his added-time header rescued a point for Hartlepool United in their last Victoria Park game of the season.

Flinders was sent forward for a last-gasp corner and powered his header into the net to earn a draw from a game Pools looked certain to lose – a surreal ending to a strange season.

After the dramas suffered in recent years, with Pools fighting to avoid relegation, it makes a change for them to be safe well before the end of the campaign  - and an even bigger change for the goalkeeper to score their last home goal of the season.

Boss Mick Wadsworth was delighted to share in the end-of-season high spirits as Flinders robbed Bournemouth of two points they must have thought they had earned, though the consolation for them was that they still made the play-offs.

Wadsworth told the Northern Echo: “No-one remembers the result, but the fact that our goalkeeper scored a fantastic header.

“I sent him up and would do it anytime in that situation – a no-brainer.

“You couldn't write the script could you? He makes a right cow's botty of the second goal and then does that? I've been looking for a striker all season – turns out the goalkeeper's one.''

Steve Lovell had given Bournemouth the lead on the half-hour, and five minutes before half-time Flinders boobed when he made a right mess of Donal McDermott’s shot, allowing it to sneak into the net, but Adam Boyd scored from the spot early in the second half after Leon McSweeney was fouled.

But Wadsworth admitted that the game was another example of the two faces of his side.

“The first half was woeful,” he told the club website. “We had 11 players who weren’t at the races.

“I was quite angry at half-time because that’s not like us, but I told them they got us into this problem and it was up to them to get us out of it.”

Pools are not going to make Wadsworth’s 60-point target – even a win in their final game at Charlton would only take them to 59. But at least there will be no last-game nerves like last season, though the team will need to be a lot more consistent next season than they have been this.

And if they can find a finisher as good as Flinders, they might to better.