COLIN COOPER admitted he was left with mixed emotions after seeing his Hartlepool United side earn a point against Burton Albion.

Pools again had to come from behind to salvage something, with Brad Walker’s second-half finish making it 1-1.

But Cooper mused: “It’s a point for us but am I pleased?

The message we went out with, having watched Burton, was they like to get on the front foot and press teams.

“We had to move the ball quicker and play between them more, get forward on the front foot quickly.

“We didn’t do it enough in the first half. Second half was a lot better. The message was the same both halves.

“They are a form side, we accept that, but if we had gone about our business first half we could have got in front and won the game.

“They are a side feeling good about themselves and we could see that.

“We showed some resilience to come back.

“Burton created openings, but I didn’t see anything I feared. The plaudits we have had for passing the ball, we didn’t do it this time and we didn’t create a forward momentum.

“The introduction of two substitutes gave us that impetus, no disrespect to Simon Walton and James Poole, and Burton made changes to try to see it out 1-0.

“I thought we were doing enough. Bradley’s goal was smashing and only one team was going to win it after that, but we couldn’t find a second.

“We had one flash wide, one off the line – maybe not quite enough again. But there were some good signs, second half especially.

Cooper had some grumbles about the goal Pools conceded – and the referee’s role in the build-up.

“What Phil Edwards did was smashing for a full-back, taking it down on his chest and smashing it in,’’ he said.

“But I feel it was a foul on Luke James beforehand that the referee allowed to go.

“I can have an argument with the referee about the foul and why it wasn’t given?

“But I can’t have an argument about how Edwards gets the ball and scores.

“As much as we are disappointed with what happens with Luke, what happens ten seconds later is something I have to look at and ask why.

“Luke looked a lot brighter in the second-half.

“If he got that goal when he wriggled into the box, it might have been justified as the centre-halves saw him off in the first half. Luke was more like himself in the second half.’’