HARTLEPOOL are still sitting pretty at the top of Division Three despite their shock 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth yesterday.

Chris Turner's men head the table on goal difference from Torquay - thanks mainly to the fact the Gulls, along with Rushden and Diamonds and Rochdale all slipped up on Saturday.

Hartlepool had led through Eifion Williams, but with Micky Barron sent off Wade Elliott and Steve Fletcher snatched a win for the south coast club.

At York Street, rock-bottom Boston came back after conceding an early goal to beat Torquay 2-1.

Matthew Hockley drew first blood for the Gulls in the sixth minute but the Pilgrims staged a second-half revival as Jamie Cook equalised and on-loan midfielder Lee Thompson gave them the lead.

Rushden & Diamonds could only draw at Exeter as they fell behind to a sixth-minute Steve Flack goal. Duane Darby equalised (28) but they remain third, cutting the gap to Torquay to one point.

Fourth-placed Rochdale were thumped 3-0 by Hull, being managed for the day by caretaker boss Billy Russell with manager-elect Peter Taylor watching from the stands.

Phil Jevons grabbed the Tigers' first in the 28th minute and on-loan Wolves striker Michael Branch added a second on the stroke of half-time.

Branch sealed the win with six minutes left to condemn Rochdale to defeat.

Wrexham slipped to sixth after a goalless draw at home to Leyton Orient.

It was a bad day for Swansea, who are propping up the League after a 1-0 defeat at Oxford.

The Us moved up four places to seventh with the win, secured by Jefferson Louis' 73rd-minute goal.

Carlisle remain 22nd with a 2-1 defeat at home to Shrewsbury. They could not have made a worse start as Karl Murray put the Shrews ahead with just a minute gone.

The Cumbrians drew level when Matthew Redmile put through his own goal but Shrewsbury nicked a winner 12 minutes from time from David Artell.

Cambridge came back to beat Scunthorpe 2-1. Matthew Sparrow put the Iron ahead after half an hour but the Us came storming back in the second half. Omer Riza equalised in the 54th minute and Shane Tudor fired the winner eight minutes from time.

Bury rescued a point at home to Darlington after being two goals down with two minutes left.

Ryan Valentine (34) and a 73rd-minute Ian Clark penalty appeared to have secured the win for the Quakers but David Nugent pulled one back in the 88th-minute.

The Shakers kept on coming and equalised in the dying seconds through Michael Nelson.

Bristol Rovers beat Lincoln 2-0, Ben Futcher's 17th-minute own goal added to by Giuliano Grazioli's 52nd-minute spot-kick.

Macclesfield registered their third away win of the season by beating Kidderminster 2-0 at Aggborough.

Michael Welch set them on the way in the 31st minute and David Eaton made it safe with 19 minutes to go.

Updated: 10:50 Monday, October 14, 2002