Sheffield Wednesday produced their best performance of the season to date at Victoria Park where a 5-0 win took them to the top of League One for the first time this season.
Having suffered their first defeat of the season in midweek, going down by four goals to two at Scunthorpe in the League Cup, Alan Irvine chose to make six changes to his starting eleven and went with the personnel that had beaten Brighton at Hillsborough last weekend.
Hartlepool were able to include Adam Boyd, the striker who had helped to see off Sheffield United in the Carling Cup was doubtful due to injury in the build up to the game but was able to start alongside James Brown. Former Owls defender Steven Haslam was also included in the home side’s line up.
It didn’t take Wednesday long to shake off the disappointment of the midweek defeat and having already had a Coke effort cleared off the line in the first five minutes they took the lead on eight minutes when Mellor’s cross from the left looked destined to pick at Coke in the box and Paul Murray’s attempt to cut out the pass diverted the ball into his own net.
The Owls doubled the lead just two minutes later when Mellor picked up possession in the right hand side of the penalty area and this time his pass did pick out Coke who made no mistake with a crisp low volley.
Hartlepool were clearly stunned by the Owls flying start and were struggling to contain Mellor. The striker was giving the home defence a torrid time and deservedly added his name to the score sheet inside 25 minutes drilling a well placed shot across goal into the top corner.
With much of the hard work seemingly already done the visitors allowed the home side to come into the game as the half drew to a close but they were unable to stretch Nicky Weaver in the Wednesday goal.
Having made slow starts to the second halves of recent games Alan Irvine would no doubt have warned against letting the home side get a foot in the game during the interval and Wednesday had early chances to extend their lead, Tudgay going close with a header and Coke and Mellor failing to make the most of a move on the break.
Pools were struggling to break down a well organised Owls team and when Weaver was finally tested just after the hour mark it was a speculative 25 yard strike from Monkhouse that forced him into action.
With just under twenty minutes to go Mellor broke into the penalty area only to be hauled down by keeper Scott Flinders who was lucky not to see red for the offence. Marcus Tudgay converted his second penalty of the week, prompting Irvine to replace Mellor with Morrison and Coke with Miller.
With ninety minutes on the clock Morrison put the icing on the cake, curling a sublime effort into the top corner for his second goal of the season.
The Owls face Notts County at home on Wednesday evening in the Football League Trophy and take their unbeaten league record to Brentford in front of the Sky TV cameras next Sunday lunchtime.