Pools Youth Team were beaten 1-0 by Mansfield Town came out on top in a tightly-contested affair at Field Mill on Saturday afternoon.
The game started in tentative fashion with neither side able to create much in the way of goalscoring opportunities in the first half hour of the contest.
Pools' first real opening arrived when Daryl Scaife's delivery from the flank was turned just wide by Anthony Wakefield.
And just minutes later Mansfield made them pay by getting their noses in front when a lack of concentration left the Stags striker free to slot the ball in to the net.
Jack Sharples almost levelled things on the stroke of half time but his long-range effort was well turned away by the home keeper.
The second half began in disastrous fashion as Pools conceded a penalty - but the spot kick was sent wide of the target and the let-off served as a boost to Micky Barron's men.
They took the game to their hosts, finally getting their passing game going, and Billy Blackford came close when he sent a shot just wide of the post.
Marc Ellison then exchanged passes with Sharples before firing just off-target, and then Lee Mason snatched at a chance and pulled it wide.
Jordan Richards cross fell for Blackford but his shot was blocked, while Richards himself almost scored when he took a shot at goal from a corner but saw it saved.
The Mansfield keeper then pulled off a stunning double save to preserve the home side's lead. Chay Liddle's free-kick looked goalbound before being turned away by the stopper and when Mason turned it back across goal Paul Johnson saw his header brilliantly clawed away.
"I think we definitely should have had at least a point from the game," Barron commented afterwards.
"I was especially pleased with the second half because we really gave it a go and on another day we could have scored two or three goals.
"There were plenty of things to take out of the game and things we can work on so despite the result I was satisfied with the efforts of the players."
Full Time: Mansfield Town 1 Pools 0
Pools: Herbert, Quantrill, Purvis, Ellison (Liddle), Paul Johnson, Mellish, Martin (Richards), Sharples, Scaife, Wakefield (Mason), Blackford.
Subs not used: Daniel Johnson.
