A line-up looking suspiciously like the first team put six unanswered goals past Pools at Victoria Park, with Alan Shearer hitting a hat-trick and strikes from Craig Bellamy, Nobby Solano and Gary Speed.
At Hillsborough a less experienced line-up squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3, with Kieron Dyer, Shola Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua on target for us.
Line-up at Hartlepool: Given, Griffin, Bernard, Solano, S Caldwell, Woodgate, Jenas, Robert, Shearer, Bellamy, Speed.
Line-up at Sheffield Wednesday: Harper, Hughes, Elliott, Viana, O'Brien, Bramble, Bowyer, Dyer, Cort, Ameobi, LuaLua.