Stoke follow perfect script as Alex Neil enjoys win over Hartlepool

Alex Neil does not think Stoke’s FA Cup third round victory at Hartlepool could have gone any better.

The Potters, struggling to find good form in the Championship, brushed aside the League Two strugglers with relative ease at the Suit Direct Stadium.

Hartlepool defender Euan Murray turned a low Josh Tymon cross into his own net in the 16th minute and that was followed by a predatory Jacob Brown strike two minutes before the break.

Hartlepool had their moments before that second goal but soon after the restart it was all over as a contest when Rollin Menayese scored the second own goal of the game, this time turning in Harrison Clarke’s delivery.

It was a cup win that left Neil satisfied and keen to see Stoke build on it when they return to action in the Championship after a run of just one win in five.

The Stoke boss said: “It was a good performance, a professional performance. Just look at some of the results over the last two days to see how difficult games like this can be.

“We wanted to take this game away from them, once we got the first goal I think we did that. We created numerous chances and made it difficult for them. All in all it was very pleasing.

“Some lads haven’t been playing for different reasons and some younger lads got minutes … so if I could have written a script beforehand of how I’d have liked this to go today, it happened.

“People have looked at our last couple of results, but our performance levels haven’t been too bad. But we were clinical in both boxes today. I was confident in the performance today. I wanted this to be a confidence-builder more than anything else.

“If the lads weren’t creating chances then there would be an issue of getting through teams, but every game we have played of late we have had chances.”

Hartlepool boss Keith Curle knows the bigger picture is that his team need to preserve Football League status.

Stoke’s victory might have been routine, and the result of a couple of own goals, but Curle thinks his players can learn from a defeat to second-tier opposition.

He said: “This was an excellent experience for the lads.

“We always mention about creating goalscoring opportunities – unfortunately after this today we have to make sure that those are in the opposition’s box!

“But Stoke moved the ball well and it is always going to be hard for defenders when people are on your shoulders. But this was an excellent test for the players.

“Today was not our day, we now focus on the league, the cup dream is over.

“We already have a new player in (Matty Dolan) and we will hopefully have more new players coming in.

“I want us to score goals and create opportunities so we would have liked to have done that today. But they were up against players who have an extra yard of pace.

“It is a learning curve for them. We will look back on this and that is part of development.

“We also finished the game with two 16-year-olds (Joe Kitching and Campbell Darcy) and Louis Stephenson is just 17. For them to experience the preparation through the week for this and be involved in the build-up is fantastic. It shows there is a pathway there for players to start.”