In-form Pools too strong for Iron

Hartlepool kept their hopes of the great escape alive with a 2-1 victory at Scunthorpe.

Pools took command with two goals in 17 first-half minutes to stretch their unbeaten run to six games. James Poole fired the visitors in front after 20 minutes, lashing home a shot from 12 yards out after a good lay-off by Charlie Wyke. They struck again in the 37th minute when midfielder Jonathan Franks waltzed his way into the box before steering an excellent left-foot shot into the far corner of the net beyond the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Sam Slocombe. Scunthorpe, who had won their previous three home games, struggled to get a foothold in the match and in the second half it was Hartlepool who continued to threaten on the break. The lively Poole rattled the crossbar with one long range effort - then tested Slocombe with another. With 67 minutes gone, Scunthorpe gave a debut up front to new loan signing James Alabi from Stoke. Nine minutes later he made a real impact, heading them back into the game from a left-wing cross from Tom Newey. But it was too little, too late to save Scunthorpe from an eighth home defeat of the season.