SUNDERLAND were long losing at Arsenal, Newcastle always failing at Watford, Middlesbrough surprisingly trailing to Burnley.

With five minutes to go, Hartlepool United were the only North-East club surviving in the FA Cup, slugging it out toe to toe with Derby County.

A replay looked set for next week, tonight’s televised draw was at least appearing appealing to one corner of the region.

Darren Bent had a fairly quiet all-round game. The former £16m Sunderland man, sold to Aston Villa five years ago for £24m, had been denied by Trevor Carson a couple of times, but he was well shackled and impressively looked after by Adam Jackson, the Pools centre-half on loan from Middlesbrough.

But when Abdoul Camara, the Rams’ new £1.25m French winger crossed, the ball bounced up via a deflection and into Bent’s path.

With an instinctive swing of the boot, the ball was past Carson and into the net.

Bent had banged in his 200th club career goal, and the North-East had no interest left in the competition.

For Pools, like the others, attention turns to League Two and the need to avoid a nervy scrap akin to last season’s Great Escape.

Play like they did on this occasion, with the same verve, energy and willingness and they will be alright.

This was their first game in three weeks, their season halted by a weather-enforced winter break. The rest, it appears, has done them good.

Boss Ronnie Moore admitted: “I've said to them, you've set your standards, you don't drop now. If you drop below that, we're going to be in the mess we're in.

“On Saturday we had that endeavour, enthusiasm and commitment. Because it was Derby they gave me that, but they've got to do that against Wycombe and Exeter.

“We're trying to bring new blood in as well to make us better. If we do that we won't be looking over our shoulders.’’

Moore has had one bid rejected for a striker and could go back with an improved offer. He’s also chasing more ahead of the weekend’s game with Wycombe at Victoria Park.

He said: “We've made enquiries, had one bid turned down, we've got another one pending. With the one that's been turned down, it's a question of how far we want to go with it.

“Everyone's got a valuation. I think people see we've had a few TV games and the £10,000 player becomes whatever, which is nonsense really. We're not going to dive in that way. If we have to go with loans, we'll go with loans.’’

Against the Rams Moore had two players on the right-side who have barely featured between them this season, but who made a big impact.

Right-back Jordan Richards has been out injured with a back problem, while ahead of him Lewis Hawkins has played more for Spennymoor on loan than he has Pools.

They linked up well, Richards swung over some inviting crosses all afternoon, Hawkins’ trickery and willingness to run at and beyond the visiting defence caused problems.

Moore added: “Jordy did well, we’ve got right backs but they are injured and he’s been also injured. He gets forward and whips balls over – as a striker I’m dreaming of them balls.

“Young Hawks did well, ran at them and took the game to them. I expected them to tire, but they didn’t.

“It wasn’t to be our day. Wycombe is a big one, and we look for wide men and a striker or two and one or two defenders. The two young lads did well against quality opposition.’’

Pools started well, Moore has long lamented his side going out and not getting at the opposition from the off, but they were positive this time.

With Jake Gray playing in an advanced support role behind lone-striker Scott Fenwick, the Crystal Palace loanee was busy and effective in the opening stages, his intelligent running stretching the back four.

He fed Rhys Oates for an early chance, but the Rams defenders reacted quickly to block it out.

Trevor Carson first saved from Bent on 19 minutes, turning an angled shot away.

But it was as half-time approached when Pools were put under any pressure. Nick Blackman, signed last week for £2.5m from Reading, got involved and had shots saved, blocked and headed wide, before he went down too easily in the box seeking a soft penalty.

The Rams were more advanced in the second-half – more or less shifting to a 4-2-4 set up.

Pools kept the ball moving in and around the opposition area and it led to a good chance for Gray, only for him to kick air rather than than the ball.

Next time he more than made up for it.

Michael Woods picked up the ball closer to the half-way line than the penalty area and surged forward, bursting past defenders and clipping over a beautiful ball for Gray to leap and acrobatically volley in.

Pools need Woods to get back to that sort of form, when he can hurt opposition and defenders nowhere near as good as Derby’s in the coming weeks.

But the lead didn’t last long. Jacob Butterfield hadn’t been on the pitch long, 57 seconds to be precise, when he motored forward and, as Pools didn’t clear on the edge of their area with any authority, clipped his shot into the corner.

Hawkins poked a shot wide, Carson saved brilliantly from Bent, Scott Fenwick missed the chance to get on the end of a looping Brad Walker cross.

Then Butterfield got on the ball again, and sprayed a pass wide for Camara. Early on and he kicked a corner straight out of play, but this time his low cross took a bounce off Woods and spun up for Bent, who finally got the better of his former Sunderland teammate Carson.

“This was a difficult game and Hartlepool played really well but in the end our quality came through,’’ reflected Bent.

"That's seven seasons in a row I have scored in the FA Cup. I'm really proud of that. As a kid, the Cup meant everything. It's the best knockout competition in the world. It's games like today which make it so great. Hartlepool gave us a real game and scored a great goal themselves.

"Trevor played really well and made some great saves but he made me stick on 199 for a few minutes more.

"It has been frustrating waiting for the 200th. Keepers have been determined to make me wait, Trevor included.

“I know him well from my days at Sunderland. He played really well but I for one, was not at all surprised. I always knew how good a keeper he was because he saved a few from me in training! Today he made save after save after save.

“We could have won a lot more comfortably if he hadn't been in such great form."