Stoke beat Hartlepool to reach FA Cup fourth round

Jacob Brown’s neat finish and two own goals sent Stoke City through to the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Hartlepool United.

Brown doubled the Championship side’s lead, skipping past goalkeeper Ben Killip to roll in from a tight angle.

Rollin Menayese applied the final touch to Harry Clarke’s delivery as Stoke stretched their lead after half-time.

Jack Hamilton spurned a promising early chance for Hartlepool, misdirecting a header from a cross before Stoke scored their second.

The League Two strugglers had been targeting a repeat of their upset at home to Stoke in the third round of the 2008-09 season, when the visitors suffered a 2-0 defeat as a Premier League side.

Hartlepool’s hopes were hindered by their failure to produce a shot on target during a game when the 2011 finalists’ superior cutting edge told.

The confident victory ended the Potters’ run of two successive defeats and ensured their place in the fourth round for a second successive season.