Pools put in a professional display to take all three points from Stockport County this evening.
A first half strike from Joe Gamble was added to by second-half strikes from Andy Monkhouse and Roy O'Donovan as Chris Turner's men recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Pools started brightly here against already-relegated Stockport County, with the players looking keen to put the disappointment of Wycombe behind them.
Turner's men brought a good tempo to the game and made sure the visitors were pushed hard in the opening forty-five minutes.
There was an early slip in the pressure for Pools as Stockport pushed on down the right flank, the powerful Jabo Ibehre nudging Neil Austin out of his path as he pushed into the area. Ibehre sent a rocket effort at goal to test Scott Flinders but fortunately the big stopper was alert and pulled off a great save to deny The Hatters.
With 13 minutes on the clock, Pools had their first real chance of the game as the on-form Roy O'Donovan powered forward down the left wing to send a strike at goal but Owain Fon Williams matched his opposite number with a good save to put the ball wide.
From the resulting corner kick, Pools were ahead Ritchie Humphreys sent the ball in from the right which Ibehre rose to head down. The Stockport man found only Joe Gamble with his clearance and the former Cork City man sent a volleyed effort from 22 yards which bounced in front of Fon Williams and hit the back of the net.
The goal was just the tonic for Pools who were in real need of the points here this evening and from then on in, Stockport County faced something of an onslaught.
With Andy Monkhouse and Leon McSweeney in fine form down the flanks and supplying the bullets for the lively front pairing of Brown and O'Donovan, Stockport were strateched at the back.
McSweeney sent a great ball in from the right wing which found the head of O'Donovan but his effort went wide of target, while McSweeney went for goal himself minutes later with a low drive at goal which Fon Williams blocked out with a great save.
And it wasn't just the chances from open play that caused Stockport problems as Joe Gamble hit a succession of probing corner kicks which really tested the visitors and gave Pools more pressure in the right areas.
There were chances for O'Donovan, who was denied by Fon Williams, James Brown who saw his effort blocked well by Swailes and Andy Monkhouse, who hit a late strike just over the bar as Pools pressed hard.
The only disappointment for Chris Turner at half time would have been that his team had not scored more than the single goal but there was plenty of promise for the second half.
And, with less than ten minutes of the second half, Pools had come desperately close to grabbing that two-goal cushion as Monkhouse arrived in the box to fire at goal only to see the ball strike the post and bounce back into play.
Joe Gamble clearly fancied another strike after having added his second of the season in the first half as he tried his luck from outside of the box - this time though, the Irish midfielder saw the ball scrape wide of the far post.
The second goal did arrive in the 56th minute and former Stockport County man Leon McSweeney was very much the instigator; the lively winger sent an inch-perfect ball from the byline to the right of the area to the far post where Monkhouse arrived to poke home from close range for his 11th goal of the campaign.
With the two-goal cushion secured for Pools, Stockport County settled a little more into their game and began to enjoy more possession of their own.
George Donnelly looked set to give the visitors a lifeline as he found space to shoot from close range inside the box but with a goal looking a certainty, Flinders once again saved the day with an impressive reaction save to tip the effort over the bar.
There was controversy mid-way through the half as David Perkins was lucky not to be sent off. The midfielder had already picked up a booking when he went in hard on O'Donovan but with the Pools front man pushing on for goal, the official failed to show the expected second yellow to Donnelly.
Stockport showed good spirit as they battled to the end and Richie Partridge squandered a great chance to score - the winger did everything right as he pushed into the box with only Flinders to beat and lifted the ball over the on-rushing keeper only to see his final strike go wide of target.
Pools dealt with the threat from Stockport County and played out the remainder of the game with relative ease and the result never looked in danger.
O'Donovan got the goal he deserved in the 90th minute of play as he ran through in a one-on-one with Fon Williams, showed a calm head and lifted the ball over the keeper and into the top right corner of the net to make it a more convincing 3-0 victory.
There was a glimpse of a late consolation for Stockport when Ibehre ran through to shoot on goal but once again Flinders was in no mood to give up that clean sheet and pulled off another top-drawer save to deny the goal.
Three crucial points for Pools from a convincing and professional display this evening will boost Turner's men in their efforts to pull further away from the drop zone.
Att: 2869 (69 Stockport County)
Pools: Flinders, Austin, Collins (Clark 46), Hartley, Haslam, McSweeney (Sweeney 89), Gamble, Humphreys, Monkhouse, Brown (Boyd 79), O'Donovan
Subs Not Used: Cook, Jones, Larkin, Bjornsson
Stockport County: Fon Williams, Sadler, Huntington, Swailes, Halls, Poole (Johnson 68), Perkins, Turnbull, Partridge (Vincent 68), Ibehre, Donnelly
Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Rowe, Barnes, Murty
