HARTLEPOOL UNITED’S first pre-season outing ended in a comfortable 4-0 win at Billingham Town.

Pools took on the Norther League side at Bedford Terrace, where Craig Hignett’s reserve side play their fixtures, and were three goals up before half an hour.

Hignett fielded two different teams, one in each half, and could easily have won by a lot more than the four they did score.

New recruit Lewis Alessandra opened the scoring on 16 minutes, finishing low from close range after a corner wasn’t properly cleared by the home defence.

It was soon two when last season’s top scorer Billy Paynter headed in at the far post from a deep Carl Magnay cross, the right-back picking out his captain from distance.

On 23 minutes, the third arrived. Magnay’s cross was sliced into his own net by centre-half Mark Dixon.

Pools had to wait until the hour mark for the next one, when Padraig Amond, recently signed from Grimsby, confidently netted.

Jordan Richards, Nathan Thomas and Jake Orrell went close to adding more as Pools enjoyed the vast majority of possession in front of a crowd of around 800.

Pools (first-half): Carson, Magnay, Bates, Nsiala, Gilbey, Featherstone, Laurent (Orrell 30), Hawkins, Alessandra, Paynter, Oates.

Pools (second-half): Bartlett, Richards, May, Jones, Carroll, Walker, Woods, Deverics, Orrell, Amond, Thomas.