LEANING up against the advertising hoarding surrounding the main stand, the booing crowd having long since gone, Neale Cooper, hands in pockets, cut a forlorn figure.

The Hartlepool boss rocked on his heels and scratched his brow as he struggled to explain how, on a day when his side could have secured their Division One play-off berth, they had turned in arguably one of their poorest showings in his Victoria Park reign.

"I am hurt today by that performance," he said. "Martin (Scott, assistant manager) is hurting and hopefully the boys are hurting because that is not Hartlepool. On all days to put in a performance like that . . . it's unacceptable."

As it turned out, despite the result, Pool still find themselves in the play-off hunt with the trip to Bournemouth to go after games elsewhere went their way. That said, it will have done little to temper Cooper's disappointment after seeing his side dominated from first minute to last by a side, until recently, battling the drop.

Former Aston Villa star Julian Joachim only lasted 25 minutes before succumbing to a tight hamstring but he had already masterminded the victory. First he forced Matty Robson to put through his own net in the ninth minute and then four minutes later he scored a sublime second.

The hugely impressive Andrew Surman put the game beyond reach just before the break and although Adam Boyd scored a 75th minute penalty it was scant consolation.

"It was just a woeful performance. I am absolutely gutted that we could play as badly as that," said Cooper. "We were absolutely useless and the fans have every right to criticise us. That's not good enough.

"They just battered us and we had no reaction. We were absolutely woeful in the first half and it could have been more. Words were said at half-time but the damage was done by then."

Cooper, who had brought in Darren Craddock, Mark Tinkler and Jon Daly for Saturday's game, hauled the first two off at the break, but admitted, keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos apart, he could have replaced any of his players such was the lack of commitment.

"They were hiding. You need strong people, of all days today, to say 'give me the ball, I'll pass it, I'll look for it'. Too many hid today," he said. "I can only apologise for that performance. I have never seen us play like that. Every one of them was rubbish."

The outcome might have been different had Daly and Tony Sweeney made the most of early chances. However, Daly sent his header from eight yards wide and Sweeney fired straight at Saddlers' keeper Andy Oakes.

From then on it was backs to the wall as Walsall ran the show. Joachim was handed a run on goal by Chris Westwood's suicidal cross-field pass and when he crossed from the byline on the left, Robson could only divert it into the net.

Four minutes later Joachim waltzed his way past several despairing tackles before finding the time and space to send a right-footed shot from 22 yards past Konstantopoulos.

Walsall, who beat promoted Hull last week, were opening Pool up at will and almost went 3-0 up when Mark Wright's 25 yard rocket hit the angle of post and bar before coming back into play.

Walsall boss Paul Merson replaced the injured Joachim after 25 minutes, his work done. But if Pool thought they may now get a foothold in the game they were sadly mistaken. Only a last-ditch tackle by Robson prevented Darren Wrack from getting a chance on goal and then Surman's deflected shot was tipped around the post by Konstantopoulos. From the resulting corner Craddock cleared a Wright header off the goalline.

But that was only a brief respite as a minute later Walsall surged further ahead.

Surman broke through a static defence before slipping the ball under the keeper for number three and as the half-time whistle went some of the 6,389 crowd could be seen heading for the exits.

Butler and Strachan were introduced at the start of the second half but it was pretty much as you were, Konstantopoulos having to be alert to save one-handed from Joachim's replacement Matt Fryatt.

When Butler was brought down outside the box Strachan stepped up in a bid to give his side hope. However, his shot sailed well over and the Walsall fans' conga, which had briefly stopped to observe the set-piece, continued its joyous journey around the away stand.

Surman should have made it four but shot tamely at the keeper and then Fryatt went for goal from an acute angle when a better option would have been to pick a team-mate out in the box.

Sweeney's downward header was easily saved by Oakes and the ball was soon down the other end. Fryatt fired just past the post and then Surman grazed the upright with a low drive.

When Robson was felled in the box Boyd despatched the spot-kick with consumate ease, but coming in the 77th minute it was too little, too late.

"We have a very important week now in which to get things right," said Cooper. "I have got to get myself back because I am upset tonight. But I said a month ago it if takes the last game (to make the play-offs) so be it, and we've still got a chance.

"No chance if we play like that," he added.

Result: Hartlepool United 1 Walsall 3.

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