NEALE Cooper last night lavished praise on his Hartlepool United side after they thumped Milton Keynes Dons at Victoria Park.

A 5-0 victory means it's four wins and two draws from their last six games - 14 points from 18, 12 goals scored and three conceded - and a home League run which has brought 11 wins and 31 goals from 13 games.

Cooper's side are now fifth after the hectic festive period.

Pool blew their chance of victory in the reverse fixture this season, losing 4-2 after leading 1-0.

But there was never any chance of them throwing this game away, with four second-half strikes finishing off the limited opposition.

"It was a massive result for us. I didn't need to make a big team talk before the game, because the boys wanted revenge for what happened down there,'' said Cooper.

"We gifted them the game that day. We were upset about that performance and took that anger into this game.

"Adam Boyd scored two wonderful goals. His touch and movement was fantastic and, if other people had scored those goals, they would be called world-class.

"His goals were very good, but Sweeney probably scored the pick of the bunch.

"I knew we could lift our game for the second-half and we did it well. It was an excellent performance and it's been a great Christmas and new year for us.''

Cooper added: "In the first-half we were a wee bit sloppy in the passing. We had to be sharper, but we got a good goal and went on to win easily.

"We are a very fit team and it showed. We have had a big period of games, but we finished really strongly.

"There's been a few hard games, but we have come through them very, very well.''

Visiting boss Danny Wilson knows all about Pool because as manager of Bristol City last season he scraped past Pool in the play-offs.

He showed his respect by packing the midfield, playing just one up front to try to stifle Pool.

His new side are a million miles away from his old club in both ability and stature and his game plan was to keep Pool and the crowd quiet and, in an innocuous start, his tactics were working.

Pool could have been a goal behind after six minutes.

Allan Smart turned smartly past Dimi Konstantopoulos as he broke into the danger area and after he tapped towards the empty net, Chris Westwood got in position to clear off the line.

Pool weren't fizzing the ball around Victoria Park like they can and there was signs that four games in nine days were taking their toll.

By the end, with five goals in the bag, there were no signs of fatigue - they could have played all night.

The first time Pool attacked at any pace, Adam Boyd's cross was nodded away, but Tony Sweeney was penalised for a push.

Boyd surged into the area and, after tricking his way past two defenders, saw his shot smothered by keeper Matt Baker.

A minute later Pool took the lead, with Sweeney's ninth goal of the season.

The midfielder, sent off in the game at the National Hockey Stadium in September, timed his run off the back of the defence to perfection, collected Hugh Robertson's lofted pass and lobbed the ball superbly over Baker in one movement.

Cooper played the tactics game with Wilson as Pool threw Eifion Williams up front to give them a three-pronged attack as Boyd dropped slightly deeper.

Humphreys tucked into a midfield three, but the skipper's touch badly let him down on the half-hour.

After Nicky Rizzo took possession, the visitors broke away and Smart wasn't the brightest bloke at Victoria Park when he snatched his shot into the side netting.

Pool had to pass and move their way through what was at times a nine-man defensive unit.

Ross and Porter interchanged quick passes on the right for the former to cross and Sweeney stretched, but could only lift the ball in the air.

Small tried to burst his way through on the edge of the area, and after quickly going to ground under Nelson's challenge won a free-kick.

Smart's kick beat the defensive wall, but crashed off the underside of the bar and Ross headed clear.

A delightful Boyd body swerve created space and his floated cross towards the far post was headed over by Sweeney.

Four minutes into the second half, Boyd created and thumped home Pool's second.

A long ball from Nelson caught the defence square and Boyd was on to it like a shot.

He looked like he was going to lose the ball under pressure, but slid in to win it back, composed himself and, with Sweeney and Porter screaming for a cut-back, cracked the ball across Baker high into the far corner.

Pool should have had a penalty soon afterwards when Porter tore past Chorley and into the area. The defender pulled him back, but Shotley Bridge referee Colin Webster played on from his distant viewpoint some 40 yards away.

Boyd can do things with a football most people can only manage on their Playstation.

Ross played the ball forward for his striker and, despite being under pressure from two central defenders, it didn't worry him - there was only one place this ball was going.

He took the ball under control and confidently thumped it past Baker from the edge of the area.

Scoring his 16th goal of the season was his final act, as he earned a deserved rest, with Andy Appleby taking his place.

Boyd missed the chance of a hat-trick, when Pool were awarded a soft penalty on 80 minutes.

Porter headed the ball into the air and was bundled to the ground by defender Ben Chorley.

The Australian hit his penalty low, Baker parried it, but only into Porter's path and he fired low into the far corner for his ninth goal of the season.

With Pool surging forward in the closing moments, Ross crossed deep from the right, Humphreys squared across goal and Appleby bundled the ball over the line.

This was Pool's 12th successive League and cup victory at Victoria Park - including a penalty shoot-out win over Hull - which equals a club record, achieved in both 1952 and 1934.

Hartlepool United 5 - 0 Milton Keynes Dons

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