Tranmere Rovers followed their 1-0 over the Seasiders youth team with an impressive 3-1 win over a strong experienced Pool side.

Pool, who included, Marc Joseph, Paul Tierney, Kaspars Gorkss, Marcus Bean, Danny Coid, Keith Southern and Scunthorpe winger Robbie Foy found life difficult against a Rovers team which included several Under-16 team members in the 16 man squad. Only the impressive Steve Davies and Craig Curran boasted any first team experience.

Davies almost put the home side 1-0 up on five minutes with an audacious shot from 30 yards which stuck the bar and bounced behind. On 14 minutes Tranmere were denied a penalty when appeals for handball during a goalmouth scramble were turned down by the referee.

Jason McAteer's side went 1-0 up on 20 minutes with a move started by Danny Holmes' free kick. The defender lofted the ball into the Seasiders area where Davies flicked into the path of Craig Curran whose knock down was volleyed home by Paul Henry.

Two minutes later England college international trialist Tom Rutter lobbed over from a tight angle on the right, while the lively Robbie Foy missed with a volley from 16 yards on 34.

Curran brought a save from Mark Halstead with a header on 36 minutes, while Steve Davies also tested the young keeper with a 20 yard curling free kick four minutes before half time.

The interval saw Keith Southern give way to Dax Hoogerwerf and second half Pool began with a 4-4-2 formation.

Three minutes into the second period Tranmere doubled their lead. Halstead waited for a misplaced Tranmere pass to arrive in his hands but was beaten to the ball by Curran who knocked through the keepers' legs and reacted fastest to tap into an empty net, despite the keepers protests the goal stood and Pool found themselves two down.

On 66 minutes Blackpool's Danny Coid had the ball in the Rovers net but he was ruled offside, though two minutes later the Steve Thompson's men did claw a goal back. A fine through ball from Marcus Bean allowed Dax Hoogerwerf to beat the offside trap and he shot under the body of Ben Hinchliffe.

But on 75 minutes the hosts restored their two goal advantage when a free kick was curled in to the mix by Holmes, Henry headed across goal to Terry Gornell who poked in from close range.

In the closing stages Marc Joseph headed wide from a corner but all in all it was a disappointing night for the Tangerines, fingers crossed the senior team don't give the Prenton Park men a hat trick of wins when the two sides meet at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

Pool: Halstead, Joseph, Lawlor, Gorkss (Metcalfe 79), Tierney, Coid (Doran 68), Bean, Southern (Hoogerwerf 45), Kay, Foy, Rutter Subs Not Used: Ogden, Matthews