This is The North East | Sport | Football

THERE may have been many changes in personnel at Hartlepool United since Neale Cooper's departure six months ago, but two of his former players ensured there was no happy return for the Scot.

A predatory first half strike from striker Jon Daly and a typical Antony Sweeney finish five minutes after the restart - both of whom scored their fourth goals of the campaign - put Pool on the way to a comfortable three points against Cooper's latest club, Gillingham.

Summer signing Lee Bullock piled the misery on Cooper by rising to head a Ritchie Humphreys corner with four minutes remaining, while not even a late consolation from Frannie Collin could put a smile on his face.

The victory, in what has supposedly been a slow and uninspiring start to the League One campaign, has now pushed Pool up to within two points of a play-off place in Martin Scott's first season at the helm.

Scott, the right-hand man to Cooper during his time in charge, has made numerous changes since taking over, some of which have been forced through injury.

Only six members of Cooper's last game as manager at Pool at the North-East club - when he also lost 3-1 to Walsall at this venue in April - started last night's encounter.

And it was two of those, Daly and Sweeney, who secured Pool's third successive win for the first time since January.

It ensured that captain Humphreys' 200th consecutive League game for Pool was a celebratory one - but one man a long way from recording such a record was Michael Nelson.

Nelson found himself drafted straight back into the back four after a three-match suspension and that decision arrived at the expense of youngster Darren Craddock.

Craddock had been an integral part of Pool's two successive victories during the build up to last night's reunion with Cooper, but was the unfortunate casualty as Darren Williams switched to right-back.

But it did not take long for Nelson to settle back into his old routine - clinically towering above the Gillingham forwards to head clear on a number of occasions.

Although it was Pool who took the lead after quarter of an hour, Gillingham could have taken the advantage a couple of times before that.

With seconds on the clock Neil Harris, on loan from Nottingham Forest, headed just wide from 12 yards.

Harris turned provider minutes later when his tidy one touch flick put Matthew Jarvis clear. Jarvis was unable to apply the finish and struck wide from a difficult angle.

And that handed Pool the incentive to push forward. Humphreys and Thomas Butler combined down the left and the former's centre was cleared to the edge of the area. Lee Bullock's half-hearted shot dropped into the path of Daly, who took a touch before placing past goalkeeper Tony Bullock.

From that point Gillingham, who are yet to win away from home this season under Cooper, began to crumble and show signs of why that was the case.

The clever link up play between Humphreys and Butler down the left caused the Gills problems throughout, but Pool's failure to extend their slender lead before the break offered the visitors hope.

Having won for the first time in four on Saturday at Blackpool, Cooper had hoped his old home was going to prove the perfect platform to build on.

However, every thing that Gillingham could muster proved no test for Dimi Konstantopoulos. The big Greek was equal to efforts from midfielder Mike Flynn and Jarvis.

The town's newly-crowned European, Commonwealth and British boxing hero Michael Hunter was paraded in front of the Victoria Park faithful at half-time, and Pool delivered the knockout blow soon after.

After Sweeney had watched his header expertly tipped over by the keeper, he then showed a turn of pace to add the second of the night.

Eifion Williams' attacked down the right and found substitute Michael Maidens. The youngster quickly rolled the ball to the onrushing Sweeney, who slotted home just five minutes after the restart.

It could have been more before Bullock added to the tally with a fine, late header but namesake keeper Tony denied Daly and then Nelson's superb diving header rebounded off the foot of the far post.

Substitute Collin did reduce the deficit in stoppage time when he struck low past Konstantopoulos, but the damage had already been done.

l Plymouth boss Tony Pulis admitted his disappointment at last night's wash-out against Leicester at Home Park.

The Pilgrims led through Nick Chadwick's first-half goal when the match had to be abandoned at half-time because of a waterlogged pitch. Pulis said: ''It's just disappointing, whatever the conditions were we were 1-0 up and controlling the game.''

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