RITCHIE Jones, Ritchie Humphreys, Neil Austin and Adam Boyd have all secured regular runs in the first team this season after impressing for the second string.
With the depth of competition Hartlepool United have at their disposal, the reserves become a vital tool for the fringe players to push through the crowds and show they are worthy of a chance in League One.
For the opening six games of the campaig
n, the motivation of first-team football was clearly having an effect, with Colin West's men incisive, hungry and clinical in front of goal.
But for the last two outings at Billingham's Bedford Terrace ground, Pools have been sluggish and there was barely a flicker yesterday that they wanted to avenge last week's first defeat of the season.
West said: "We got a negative rather than a positive response to last week's defeat.
"It is disappointing because we had some players out there who need to be pushing the lads in the first team.
"Whether they are feeling sorry themselves is down to them.
"But they should be looking forward to these games to get their confidence up by doing the right thing in the right situation to get back in the team.
"Some of these lads can be so lackadaisical at times yet at others they can be so positive. It's all down to what their thoughts are at the time."
The entertainment value was not high from either Pools or visitors Scunthorpe United with both sides barely managing more than six shots between each other all game.
Central midfielders Jonny Rowell and Jon-Andre Fredriksen should have been taking the Totesport.com Cup tie by the scruff of the neck but neither seemed to get out of first gear.
Rowell was far too casual as he trudged around the pitch, barely managing one of the eye-catching crossfield passes which can switch the play so effectively.
Similarly, Fredriksen looked a shadow of the bright player from pre-season with the Norwegian gifting possession away or holding onto the ball too long.
When the ball did get out wide, David Foley produced an all too familiar tale of showing a frightening burst of place before his run petered out to nothing.
It seemed to be contagious with Pools players too often opting to go on mazy runs rather than playing a simple pass.
The result was a desperate lack of quality service for strikers Armann Bjornsson and Billy Greulich.
When the duo did receive possession though, their hold-up play was desperately poor and Scunthorpe centre-halves Jack Picton and Niall Canavan dominated.
If only Pools could have been so solid in the 10th minute when Jack Sharples was caught out by a routine header forward from Mark Cook's wayward goal kick.
Iron striker Garry Thompson got the wrong side of the Pools centre-half, nicked it away from him and then strode through on goal before sliding the ball past Cook.
The visitors deservedly doubled their lead in the 19th minute after Matthew Sparrow highlighted Ben Clark's rustiness.
Sparrow controlled left-back Sam Comer's ball down the left-hand channel with an immaculate first touch, jinked inside Clark before rifling a low shot back across Cook into the near bottom corner.
Clark had an opportunity to slide in on Sparrow when the impressive midfielder's second touch was slightly heavy but delayed and it handed him the opportunity to let fly.
Pools enjoyed their first shot of note seven minutes before the interval when Alan Power's free-kick from the right was only cleared as far as Rowell on the edge of the area whose low shot bobbled a yard wide of the post.
But three minutes before the interval they were handed a lifeline after Fredriksen lifted a sublime ball over the top of Comer for Greulich.
The striker got to the by-line but was hauled to the floor as he tried to cut the ball back across the face.
Clark came forward to take the penalty and drilled a low shot to Sam Slocombe's right. The keeper went the right way but there was too much power on the ball and it went under his body.
Bjornsson went close to levelling a minute before the break with a grasscutter from the edge of the area which Slocombe pushed behind.
But instead of Pools reemerging for the second half invigorated, they surrendered with a whimper as Slocombe was not tested one.
West said: "We played a little bit better in the second half, I can't remember our goalkeeper making a save.
"But we didn't do enough in the final third.
"I thought we did more on the negative side of the game rather than the positive.
"If they had a pass, they would play safe rather than be positive."
POOLS: Cook, Power, Haslam, Rowell (Marron 71), Clark, Sharples, Foley (Tymon 80), Fredriksen, Bjornsson, Greulich, Mason (Liddle 84). Subs not used: Wakefield, Thomas.
SCUNTHORPE: Slocombe, Spence, Comer, Picton, Canavan, Wright, Sparrow, Wint (Thomas 90), Thompson, McCaffrey, Cross. Subs not used: Dean, Palmer, Gbanie, Turner. Booked: Sparrow (67)
