Former Hartlepool boss Dave Challinor returned to the Suit Direct Stadium for the first time to pile relegation concerns on his old club by guiding Stockport to a 5-0 win in League Two.
Challinor, who left Pools 13 months ago shortly after steering the club back into the English Football League, saw County move up to 12th and five points off a play-off spot.
Two first-half goals from Kyle Wootton did the damage before Paddy Madden added the third in the 61st minute and substitute Callum Camps and Will Collar completed an emphatic scoreline.
Hartlepool, who are two points adrift at the foot of the table, never looked like marking Keith Curle’s permanent appointment as manager on an 18-month deal with a much-needed win.
Wootton’s first could not have been presented on a bigger plate after 16 minutes. Reghan Tumilty’s misdirected header dropped perfectly for the midfielder to lift over onrushing goalkeeper Ben Killip.
Less than four minutes later Wootton was on hand to convert Collar’s perfectly weighted through pass into the six-yard box.
Hartlepool should have pulled one back on the stroke of half-time but Jake Hastie side-footed wide after a delightful Callum Cooke pass.
When Madden was left to head in his eighth of the season from a Ryan Rydel corner inside Killip’s bottom-right corner just after the hour, there was no way back.
Camps turned Collar’s corner in from close range before the latter struck low from just inside the box to add number five.
