Hartlepool United 0 Sheffield Wednesday 5
Aug 30 2010 by Jack Pickering, The Journal
IN just his third game in temporary charge, Mick Wadsworth was given his first sight of the fragile nature of Hartlepool United.
A solid start to the season and an encouraging opening to his tenure as caretaker boss at Victoria Park was blown apart by Sheffield Wednesday.
Managed by ex-Newcastle coach Alan Irvine, the Owls were simply too good for Pool.
After winning at Yeovil the previous week, this game showed while Pool can beat and compete in League One, against the very best in the division it is a different matter.
Wednesday were clinical in their outlook as they raced to a three-goal lead after only 21 minutes.
Decisive at both front and back, the promotion favourites, who moved to the top of the table with this win, never dropped their standards.
Credit to Pool as they kept plugging away in the face of adversity, but their impact was somewhat minimal.
Wadsworth said: “You look at their bench . . . you know, that is reality.
“The fans are not interested in that, I know it. It is not being disrespectful to our players, but (Paul) Heffernan did not even get on. They have a lot of depth.
“I saw them quite a lot last year and they should have enough to go out of this division I am sure.''
“There were days like this last year and it is a cycle, I was told that when I came, we will be up and we will be down.
“Yet we have looked relatively solid this season and the first two goals were awful.
“For the second, one of our centre-backs dropped a ball into midfield, it was nothing, instead of shifting it and getting a foothold back in there.
“They did not like it when the ball went in behind them, not one bit. It went in behind us, Lidds got a foot in and slipped and it was two.''
He added: “They are a great set of lads. I took a risk taking (Paul) Murray off and going 4-4-2.
“I thought Sweeney and Joe (Gamble) had more legs in there, but we missed Murray as he is a warrior in there.
“It was bad luck that he tracks back 70 yards and puts it in his own net.”
Mellor set up Giles Coke to net the second just two minutes later.
Marcus Tudgay scored the fourth from the penalty spot after Mellor was tripped by Scott Flinders and in injury time substitute Clinton Morrison curled in the fifth.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Flinders; Haslam, Collins, Liddle, Horwood, Sweeney, Gamble, Murray (Yantorno 46), Brown (McSweeney 77), Monkhouse, Boyd (Hartley 68). Subs (Not Used): Rafferty, Behan, Fredriksen, Larkin.
Booked: Monkhouse, Flinders, McSweeney.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Weaver; Buxton, Beevers, Purse, Spurr, Teale (O’Connor 63), Coke (Miller 76), Potter, Sedgwick, Tudgay, Mellor (Morrison 74). Subs (Not Used): Jameson, Heffernan, Jones, Otsemobor.
Booked: Beevers, Buxton.
Goals: Murray 8 og, Coke 10, Mellor 23, Tudgay 73 pen, Morrison 90.
Attendance: 4,084.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).
