Plymouth Argyle 5 Hartlepool United 0: Match report, Pools routed on last day

Pools, cheered on by hundreds Stormtroopers in the away end at Home Park, conceded early to Tyler Harvey.

Plymouth had made seven changes but it not seem to affect them and Harvey scored his second on 25 minutes.

Louis Rooney's 58th-minute stunner made it 3-0 with Plymouth skipper Curtis Nelson making it four on the hour.

Rooney completed the rout eight minutes from time.

Despite the drubbing, Craig Hignett's side ended the season 16th with Notts County losing leavily at home to Carlisle and Yeovil going down at home to Leyton Orient.

Pools made a bright start, winning a couple of early corners, with Adam Jackson seeing a firm fifth-minute header blocked.

But Pools were behind inside a minute.

HARVEY let fly from close to 30 yards, his shot going low into Trevor Carson's bottom right corner.

The keeper will not be pleased to have beaten from there and he was beaten again in the 25th minute when Gregg Wylde belted forward down the left.

He sent over a delicious ball which HARVEY converted from close range under pressure from Nicky Featherstone.

There was a brief period of Pools pressure.

Nathan Thomas saw a 33rd-minute shot strike the hand of Jordan Foster but referee Darren Deadman ruled no penalty.

Thomas then had a terrific run and 21-yard shot which keeper Vincent Dorel saved to right.

Shortly afterwards, Billy Paynter put in a decent cross for Luke James but Kelvin Mellor got there first.

Half-time:

Plymouth 2

Pools 0

Pools were forced into a double change with Rob Jones and Carl Magnay coming off, with Jordan Richards and Jake Gray coming on.

Hawkins went in at right-back, Dan Jones at centre-half and Richards left-back.

Pools were showing few signs of coming back into the game but on 55 minutes Gray had a super shot from outside box which brought a decent save by the keeper to his left.

But the game was ended as a contest on 58 minutes by ROONEY who hit a brilliant first-time shot into Carson's top-right corner from the right side of box.

It got worse within two minutes as poor defending by Pools at a corner saw NELSON score at far post from close range.

Gray was providing the only away threat and he had a shot saved by Dorel with another going into the side-netting.

On 78 minutes, Paynter had a shot blocked by Sawyer after good work by Michael Woods and seconds later James had a rasping drive palmed away by Dorel.

ROONEY ended the scoring eight minutes from time when he headed in from close range after the ball looped up off sub Graham Carey.

FULL-TIME:

PLYMOUTH 5

HARTLEPOOL UNITED 0

Plymouth: Dorel, Mellor, Nelson (Bentley 66), Forster, Sawyer, Tanner, Purrington, Boateng (Carey 77), Wylde (Matt 84), Harvey, Rooney

Unused Subs: McCormick, Jervis

Goals: Harvey 6, 25, Rooney 58, 82; Nelson 60

Pools: Carson, Magnay (Gray 46), R Jones (Richards 46), Jackson, D Jones, Featherstone, Hawkins, Woods, James, Paynter, Thomas (Walker 71)

Unused Subs: Bartlett, Laurent, Bingham, Oates

Referee: Darren Deadman

Att: 10019 (away 521)