Hartlepool assistant manager Ian Butterworth picked out Alan Thompson and James Brown for special acclaim after the 4-3 win over Southend.Thompson, 34, joined on loan from Leeds only a matter of hours prior to kick-off and played for 70 minutes as Pools secured a first victory in seven games courtesy of Brown's brace in addition to Richard Barker and Antony Sweeney's strikes.

Butterworth also praised the manner in which Danny Wilson's men bounced back from the 2-0 defeat against struggling Cheltenham last week.

"After losing badly at home on Friday, we asked the players to show us a reaction, and they did," said Butterworth. "Obviously, we are not happy that we gave three goals away, and when two teams have trouble defending you get games like this with goals galore.

"It was probably a good one for the neutral, but not for managers and coaches. We made a few changes and asked the players to come back, and signing Alan Thompson on loan from Leeds gave us a lot more in midfield.

"James Brown's two goals were excellent finishes. After our previous game, what matters is that we won, and now we have to work on a few things to ensure they don't put me and the fans through that sort of thing too often."

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