Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor thanks opponents Brandon United following 12-0 victory at Victoria Park and points at what his players could take from the game

Pools’ first match at The Vic in over six-months was cast into doubt when Blyth Spartans had to pull out of the friendly after someone at the club tested positive for coronavirus.

As a result, a last-minute friendly against Northern League Division Two side Brandon United was organised for Saturday afternoon.

And the five-division gulf between the sides was evident on the pitch as four goals from Luke Williams as well as braces from Mason Bloomfield and Mark Shelton along with further strikes from Claudio Ofosu, Aaron Cunningham, a trialist and Gavan Holohan saw Pools stroll to a 12-0 win.

Following the match, Challinor said: “Massive thanks to Brandon for coming and having a right go.

"Hopefully they’ve enjoyed coming here and playing on a pitch that’s in great condition and credit to them for keeping going in difficult circumstances.

“For us, it was about being professional and doing what was needed. The game being called off wasn’t ideal because we’d planned the game and planned minutes and we’d done a training session with players on Friday who wouldn’t be getting as many minutes and thankfully those that needed the 75 minutes got it with not many ill effects and we can continue our plan and make sure everyone gets 90-minutes over the two games next weekend.”

Pools are set to host a Middlesbrough XI on Friday, September 25 before facing Gateshead at the International Stadium the following day.

And although the 12-0 scoreline would suggest the game was not beneficial for the players in a competitive sense, Challinor was able to take something from the game.

“Ultimately, it’s about good habits, as much as you set objectives in terms of clean sheets and not conceding goals, because of the opposition we faced, you want to limit the amount of time they spend in our half or make sure they have no shots on our goal,” he told the club website.

“To be fair, we did that and we knew the defenders, a lot of their work would be rest defending if you like and being switched on and making sure we stayed on the front foot when the ball was cleared and the attacks were maintained.

“It gets fragmented around substitutions but it was around us and our requirements for individuals players so there are things we can take from the game and what we’re asking for from some individuals and collectively in terms of our pressing.

"Because we were playing against a team from lower down the leagues, we maybe weren’t getting punished as we might have but we will certainly go over the clips and the footage of the game to show what we want from them because there are quite a few players who are new to it.

"What you’re told from one club to the next and we need to make sure we’re getting our message across.”

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.