Sweeney - goal

By Charlie Summerbell
August 8 2012

Just in case there was any danger that Hartlepool United's players and fans were getting carried away by being unbeaten in home friendlies against Sunderland, Boro and Hull, Newcastle United have brought them crashing back down to earth.

With the first competitive game of the new season looming this weekend, a 5-1 hammering at the hands of the Mags, who coasted after going three up inside the first quarter of an hour.

Neale Cooper says he hopes Pools can learn a few lessons from the game, and there were certainly a few there to be learned.

Cooper told the Mail: “I didn’t go in the dressing room after the game and go mad with the boys, because that was a footballing lesson and we’ll learn from it.

“They were something special from the word go and they battered us. I don’t want to be negative with them because we can take positives from it.

“It’s not nice to lose like that but we can take lessons going into Crewe this weekend.”

Antony Sweeney, who scored the Pools consolation, admitted that at times it felt as if Newcastle had 15 players on the pitch … and at times it looked that way, too.

Cooper is hoping that the friendlies against the North East big three will forge links between the clubs, links which have been a long time coming. At times in the past it has appeared that neighbouring clubs have actually been trying to hinder each other rather than help, and Cooper is determined to put an end to that.

Hopefully at Crewe on Saturday, Pools will put an end to their generosity in front of goal.