Keith Curle shares training ground agreement with ex-Middlesbrough defender following Doncaster Rovers win

Curle reserved high praise for Dodds after he broke the deadlock late in the game before revealing it was a goal which will cost him financially having enticed the defender to get himself on the scoresheet after a disappointing showing in front of goal in training.

“He’s just cost me a few quid [with that],” said Curle.

“We were doing a little bit of finishing yesterday and he was absolutely shocking. He couldn’t hit a barn door with a baseball bat.

“So I quite confidently said to him that I would offer him a few quid if he scored. So I’ll readily pay.”

He added: “I never saw him scoring. But fair play to the kid. It was the last five minutes of the game and he’s up overtaking midfield players and centre forwards.

“I love the kid to death.”

Dodds has made an impressive start to his Hartlepool career after completing a January move from North East neighbours Middlesbrough on the back of an excellent loan spell with Darlington.

Dodds earned the man of the match award in the recent 2-0 win over Rochdale and here, at the Eco-Power Stadium, Dodds hammered home a wonderful effort to seal all three points and keep Pools out of the bottom two.

And Curle admits it was worth the scouting trips to watch National League North side Darlington to secure Dodds’ services, with the Hartlepool boss keen to see the 22-year-old go from strength-to-strength.

“He’s got licence to step in and play. It’s not something we’re going to discourage from him,” Curle told The Mail when asked about Dodds being the man racing forward late in the game.

“That’s his natural asset and he’s still improving and developing but he’s loving the football club, he’s loving the environment and the atmosphere we’re trying to create and he knows he’s been given licence to flourish.

“He will make mistakes but he knows it’s a learning and developing environment.

“It was worth those trips on a cold Tuesday night at Darlington and over at Spennymoor to go and watch him.

“Sometimes it’s about not ignoring what is on your doorstep.”