Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor gives Ben Killip injury update and discusses forward Rhys Oates' performance in goal

Goals from Gavan Holohan and Richie Bennett saw Pools come from behind twice to secure a point at Meadow Park despite playing the majority of the game with forward Rhys Oates in goal.

Pools trailed 2-1 when Ben Killip was forced off due to an elbow injury as Oates donned the goalkeeper gloves and Henrich Ravas’ goalkeeper shirt with the task of keeping goals out opposed to scoring them.

“It was a game that had everything really,” Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor told The Mail.

“I was disappointed with our first half performance but our second half performance was outstanding and we’ve done enough to win the game.

“With the way things have gone, we’ve got to be realistic and we’re happy with a point which continues our unbeaten run."

On the goalkeeper situation, Challinor added: “Ben’s gone to have an x-ray on his elbow and he’ll see a specialist on Wednesday and we’ll go from there.

“We’re hopeful but we’re in the dark a little bit and it would be wrong to jump to conclusions without the medical proof of what’s gone on.

“It’s obviously not ideal to put an outfield player in goal but it allowed us to bring Richie on.

"With the way the game was going, they were stopping us playing out from the back and we had to get it forward a bit more and play in their half and having Richie on allowed us to do that and we were much better with him on the pitch.

“If I was asked before the game who would have gone in goal if the goalkeeper had to go off then it would have been Oatesy.

"If we’d have been a few goals down then it may have been somebody different but that was the plan if Ben was injured and he was feeling his thigh slightly anyway.

"Everything just pointed to having Oatesy in there and he messes around in training going in goal so you’re not 100-per-cent comfortable but I wasn’t panicking that they were going to score but thankfully he didn’t have a save to make!”

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