Hartlepool United 0-6 Everton U21s: Pools humiliated in the Papa Johns Trophy

Keith Curle’s side were outplayed, out-fought, out-thought and simply outclassed by Everton’s youngsters on a night which signalled just how big a job the interim boss has on his hands.

While Hartlepool’s priorities undoubtedly lie elsewhere on their league campaign, with the club bottom of the table, there can be no escaping the magnitude of such a harrowing defeat.

Paul Tait’s Toffees were rampant in the opening 45 minutes, pouncing on a Pools side horribly low on confidence. Tom Cannon opened the scoring inside 10 minutes before the floodgates would open with Mackenzie Hunt and Stan Mills adding to the scoreline.

Pools were given a reprieve when referee Adam Herczeg brought both teams off the field just after the half-hour mark after a drone was sighted above the Suit Direct Stadium. But after a delay of around 10 minutes, play restarted and, unfortunately for Pools, in the same vein as Cannon would add his second of the game before half-time.

Curle refrained from making any changes at the interval, with those who started tasked with putting some pride on the scores but they would soon concede a fifth as Mills added his second of the game soon after the restart. And things continued to get worse as Charlie Whitaker grabbed a deserved goal for his display on the evening to make it six with 15 minutes remaining.

Curle introducted all five of his substitutes midway through the second half but they were unable to put a dent in the scoreline on what was an abysmal night.

Curle had suggested a number of players were beginning to play their way out of recognition following the league defeat at Harrogate Town and as such made six changes to his starting line-up. Mouhamed Niang made his return to the squad after a number of weeks out under concussion protocol while goalkeeper Kyle Letheren made his official debut for the club after joining in the summer predominantly as a coach.

Reghan Tumilty, Jake Hastie, Ellis Taylor and Mikael Ndjoli were the remaining changes from Saturday - Ndjoli pairing new signing Theo Robinson in attack. Five of the six left out of the squad were on the bench with Mark Shelton missing out altogether. There was also no place for Joe Grey in Curle’s squad with the teenager understood to have picked up an injury in training ahead of the game.

But from the off Pools were second best to a vibrant Everton youth side. The Toffees stroked the ball around with the kind of swagger which has been missing from the Suit Direct Stadium this season and were rewarded for their early endeavours inside 10 minutes.

Euan Murray was beaten all too easily on the left before a cross bounced around the penalty area – ultimately landing at the feet of Cannon who managed to turn it beyond Letheren via a deflection.

And the visitors doubled their advantage 10 minutes later when the impressive Whitaker exchanged with Cannon before the ball was fired across to the unmarked Hunt who had the simplest of tasks at the back post.

Murray had Pools’ first attempt at goal in the 25th minute – an ambitious strike from 30 yards before Taylor’s corner almost fell for Hastie. But the winger would lose possession to allow Everton the opportunity to counter swiftly which was sealed through Mills as his strike straight at Letheren somehow found a way through the goalkeeper.

Play was soon stopped however with Pools on the attack as referee Herczeg pointed to the sky above the Suit Direct Stadium before bringing both sets of players and staff off the field. The temporary suspension in play, caused by a drone, lasted around 10 minutes before play resumed and Everton added a fourth.

Brody Paterson gifted possession away cheaply on halfway which allowed Sean McAllister the chance to arrow a long ball out to Cannon and he did the rest by cutting in onto his right foot and finding the far corner.

Pools were booed off at the break but Curle refrained from making any changes at half-time, perhaps tasking those who started the game to try and put some respectability on the score board. But it was to little avail.

Eight minutes into the second half and Everton’s under-21s had their fifth as Niang’s challenge on Ishe Samuels-Smith unfortunately fell kindly for Cannon to lead a four-on-two breakaway where he would slide in Mills who kept his composure well to beat a helpless Letheren.

Curle finally turned to his bench and made all five substitutions but they were unable to improve the scoreline. Instead it was Everton who would add a sixth.

Seb Quirk was allowed to advance towards the edge of the Pools area and found Whitaker inside of Tumilty who was able to find the corner. It was no less than Whitaker deserved who capped a fine display for the academy side.

Whitaker and substitute Francis Okoronkwo almost added to things when curling just wide of Letheren’s post as Pools failed to lay a glove on Zan-Luk Leban in the Everton goal.

It was a chastening night for Pools, who now drop out of the Papa Johns Trophy by virtue of their penalty shootout defeat to Morecambe after the League One side were beaten by Harrogate.

Hartlepool United XI: Letheren, Tumilty, Lacey, Murray, Paterson, Taylor (Ferguson), Sylla (Crawford), Niang (Cooke), Hastie (McDonald), Ndjoli, Robinson (Umerah)

Subs: Killip, Sterry

Everton U21s XI: Leban, John ©, Welch, Anderson, Samuels-Smith (Campbell), Hunt (Okoronkwo), Mills (Kouyate), Quirk, McAllister (Djankpata), Whitaker, Cannon (Mallon)

Subs: Barrett

Referee: Adam Herczeg