Frank Mulhern’s superb header secured Spennymoor a well deserved pre-season victory over League Two Hartlepool in front of a crowd of 958 at The Brewery Field.

Mulhern flicked in at the near post from Mark Anderson’s free-kick ten minutes in on a night which saw a welcome sense of edge and intensity for a friendly fixture.

Tommy Miller made several changes to the side that started the thumping win at Bishop Auckland on Saturday, with Brad Abbott, Ryan Hall, Adriano Moke and Mark Anderson coming into the side along with Mulhern.

Miller was without the unavailable trio of James Curtis, Joe Tait and Glen Taylor, forcing John Lufudu to play in a back three alongside captain Carl Magnay and a Trialist.

A Hartlepool side packed with Trialist’s and first team players were backed by a healthy contingent of away supporters, however, it was Moors who struck first after ten minutes.

Rob Ramshaw characteristically won a free kick with a barnstorming run down the right, with Mulhern escaping his marker at the front post to power Anderson’s pinpoint set piece beyond Ben Killip.

Set pieces continued to prove Pools’ achilles heel throughout a half dominated by Spennymoor, with a corner causing havoc before Killip claimed the loose ball before a black and white shirt could pounce.

Ramshaw and Abbott both has long range efforts which stung the palms of Killip and trickled wide respectively before the interval.

Mulhern tested Pools’ keeper from distance with a stinging free-kick shortly after the restart, before a raft of changes from Dave Challoner disrupted the flow of an otherwise 100mph encounter.

The excellent Lufudu almost single-handedly created Moors’ second fifteen minutes from time when he found Ramshaw following a sensational gallop forward, but, Moors’ number 10 could only steer his shot over the bar.

Pools’ Trialist striker has the ball in the net soon after but was flagged offside, before his low shot was dragged wide of the post in the dying stages.