Cherries booked a place in the League One play-offs – despite a bizarre end to their 2-2 draw at Victoria Park today.

Lee Bradbury’s men looked set to withstand a second-half onslaught from Pools after they had coasted into a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Goals from Steve Lovell – his first for the club – and Manchester City loan star Donal McDermott put Cherries in command at the break.

But after Adam Boyd had reduced the arrears with a 52nd-minute penalty, Pools goalkeeper Scott Flinders scored a dramatic late equaliser.

The goalkeeper headed home a Fabian Yantorno corner deep into stoppage time after racing from his area to join the action at the opposite end, sparking memories of Jimmy Glass's heroics for Carlisle.

Rhoys Wiggins and Harry Arter both returned to the Cherries starting line-up with Warren Cummings injured and Danny Hollands suspended.

Mathieu Baudry, the hero of Easter Monday’s 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers, was ruled out due to injury.

A polished first-half performance saw Cherries reach the interval in the ascendancy with Bradbury’s men turning on the style as they led Pools a merry dance.

The tone was set when Danny Ings seized on a poor clearance from Pools goalkeeper Flinders and tried his luck from just over the halfway line.

But, despite lifting his shot over a retreating Flinders, Ings’s audacious effort flew narrowly the wrong side of the upright.

Ings and the impressive Harry Arter were both involved as Cherries opened the scoring through Lovell’s low drive in the 29th minute.

And McDermott doubled their advantage just nine minutes later when his 25-yard drive slipped through the grasp of Flinders.

Ings then saw his lob saved by Flinders before Cherries goalkeeper Shwan Jalal was called into action for the first time on the stroke of half-time when he saved from Boyd.

Pools halved the arrears five minutes into the second half when Boyd scored from the penalty spot after Rhoys Wiggins had been judged to have fouled James Brown.

Cherries went close to restoring their two-goal cushion as the Pools goal came under fierce attack three times in quick succession.

Firstly, Liam Feeney’s intended cross caught Flinders on the hop and hit the post before Lovell’s follow-up effort struck the crossbar.

And after the loose ball had fallen for Ings, the teenage striker saw his close-range shot saved by Flinders.

Flinders, who had endured a torrid afternoon, had the final say when he scored in the dying seconds to earn Pools a share of the spoils.

Cherries: Jalal, Smith, Pearce, Cooper, Wiggins, Feeney, Robinson, Arter (Molesley, 76), McDermott, Lovell (Fletcher, 76), Ings (Williamson, 87).

Unused subs: Pugh, Purches, Dalla Valle, Thomas (g/k).

Booked: Wiggins, Lovell, Feeney.

Pools: Flinders, Austin, Johnson, Hartley, Horwood, McSweeney, Sweeney, Liddle, Humphreys (Larkin, 55), Brown (Yantorno, 66), Boyd (Behan, 66).

Unused subs: Gamble, Haslam, Holden, Rafferty (g/k).

Booked: Hartley.

Referee: Jock Waugh (Scotch Corner).

Attendance: 3,154 (including 584 away supporters).