Pools lost their first pre season game on home soil as a well-oiled Sheffield Wednesday outfit emerged victorious with a 2-0 win from their trip to the north east.

Driving rain greeted the two teams as they emerged on to the impeccable Victoria Park playing surface to play their first domestic friendlies of pre season.

Pools were fresh from a week-long stay in the Netherlands, while Wednesday - who went to Holland last pre season - had returned on Saturday from their warm-up tour in Malta.

There were four players making their first appearances at The Vic in Scott Flinders Neil Austin, Peter Hartley and Leon McSweeney, while Adam Boyd made his first start back at the ground where he made his name following his summer transfer from Leyton Orient.

There was an early scare for Pools when the ball was lofted in to their penalty area from the left hand side in to the path of Marcus Tudgay. The striker took the ball nicely on his chest but was closed down quickly by Scott Flinders and when Francis Jeffers tried to hook the rebound goalwards Peter Hartley was covering and Flinders pounced on the loose ball.

And Pools failed to heed the warning as just thirteen minutes were on the clock when the visitors took the lead after a slick passing move in midfield saw Jeffers release Tudgay who times his run superbly and then drilled past the helpless Flinders to make it 1-0.

It got even worse for Chris Turner and his side ten minutes on when Ryan France skipped clear down the left hand side after nice volleyed pass by Tudgay. The winger, on trial with the Owls, sprinted clear in to the penalty area and dinked a lovely finish over the exposed Flinders and in to the net.

Adam Boyd's curling snapshot from the edge of the box, which was easily claimed by Owls keeper Lee Grant was all Pools could muster as the Victoria Park crowd grew anxious with their team's display.

Chris Turner was clearly eager to add some punch at the start of the second half and introduced new summer signings Jon-Andre Fredriksen and Denis Behan and it certainly gave the team and the crowd a lift.

Fredriksen quickly got in possession and drove at the Wednesday defence before jinking in to space to deliver a cross which was well held by the keeper while Behan linked up well with Monkhouse and the winger's dangerous delivery was turned away for a corner at the back post.

The Owls responded through danger man Jeffers who ran past Liddle - now playing at centre-back - but just as he seemed to be set to put the visitors three goals up he suffered a rush of blood and fired high over the bar.

Wednesday were on the front foot again when a ball was delivered in to the box, but Flinders spread himself well to save as France looked to double his tally for the night.

Indeed the midfielder had another chance to score from the resulting corner but when the ball fell loose on the edge of the box, he drove his shot wide.

For the most part though, the second half was a more cagey affair, though Wednesday should have added a third when Tommy Spurr sat a cross up to the far post and substitute Akpo Sodje's powerful header went agonisingly wide.

Pools enjoyed some good moves forward through their own substitute David Foley and could have pulled a goal back when he laid the ball off inside the area for Andy Monkhouse but the winger saw his shot well saved by Grant.

It proved the last meaningful act of the game as Wednesday saw time out with few scares and Pools were left to build for Friday night's trip to York City as pre season preparations continue.

Full Time: Pools 0 Sheffield Wednesday 2

Attendance: 1,625 (250 visiting)

Pools: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Hartley (Fredriksen 46), Smith, McSweeney, Sweeney (Rowell 72), Liddle, Monkhouse (Jones 85), Boyd (Foley 70), Mackay (Behan 46).
Subs not used: Tymon, Power, Cook.

Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Spurr, Hinds, Tudgay (Sodje 76), Jeffers (Clarke 61), Potter, Wood, O'Connor (McAllister 71), Gray, Simek, France (Esajas 71).
Subs not used: O'Donnell, Beevers, Boden.