County's inability to defend set pieces saw them crash to yet another defeat at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Leading 1-0 thanks to Jon Daly's well taken effort, the Hatters allowed 'Pool to get back on level terms within a minute when Joel Porter's deep cross from the right was allowed to travel all the way to the unmarked Chris Westwood who had the simple task of heading home from no more than three yards.

And six minutes after the break, a harmless looking free kick was flicked on twice before the ball reached Westwood and the unmarked defender couldn't believe his luck when he headed his second of the game from a similar position to the first.

Hartlepool wrapped things up with a third goal four minutes later when Adam Boyd's shot rebounded to Porter off Danny Griffin and the Australian made no mistake from eight yards.

County rallied late in the game and they might have pulled a goal back but Demitrios Konstantopoulos in the home goal produced two brilliant saves, first to deny Rickie Lambert's 25-yard drive and the second to turn Daly's powerful header over the bar.

All County's best work, though, mainly came in the first half and the goal on 26 minutes was fully deserved. Damien Allen pinched the ball off Hugh Robertson and quickly fed Lambert who squared the ball to Daly to beat Konstantopoulos with a precise side-footed shot which nestled just inside the post.

And County might have regained the lead just before the break when Griffin's free kick picked out Ashley Williams but the defender's shot bounced to safety off the inside of the post.

The Hatters' cause wasn't helped when Allen, who had picked up a slight hamstring strain, had to be replaced.

The young midfielder was looking County's best player and the side lacked purpose without him in the second half.

Hartlepool: Konstantopoulos, Ross, Westwood, Clark (Williams 42), Robertson, Sweeney, Strachan (Appleby 71), Tinkler, Humphreys, Boyd (Istead 85), Porter.
Subs not used: Provett, Brackstone.

County: Cutler, Hardiker, A Williams, Griffin (Barlow 73), Adams, Allen (Mair 44), Goodwin, Robertson, Bridge-Wilkinson (C Williams 73), Lambert, Daly.
Subs not used: Jackman, Bailey.

Attendance: 4,572.

Bookings: Hartlepool - Strachan; County - Goodwin, Griffin, Lambert, Mair.

Referee: Paul Robinson (East Yorkshire).