A first-half double from the visitors gave them a half-time lead, and whilst Ian Henderson pulled a deserved goal back late on, Dale couldn’t find a dramatic equaliser.
Jimmy McNulty made two changes from the team that started in Boxing Day’s win over Morecambe. Devante Rodney and Tyler Smith came in for Ryan Galvin and Ian Henderson, with Joe Pritchard moving to the left side.
Rodney was involved early on, driving forward towards the Hartlepool area with the ball eventually finding Smith, who saw a shot blocked.
The Dale number ten, who has recently returned from injury, then brought down a terrific ball forward from Kyron Gordon, before having a shot turned wide of the near post.
From then on, it was the visitors who had the better of the chances.
Nathan Broome was forced to make a great one-on-one tackle on Luke Charman, before striker Alex Reid headed over and hit a first-time effort off the outside of the near post.
Broome then turned a Charman shot wide of the upright, but from the resulting corner, Maxim Kouogun rose highest to head home.
Less than ten minutes later, Pools doubled their lead when a swift counter attack led to Charman slotting home from close range at the far post.
Dale had a spell in which they saw plenty of crosses put into the opposition area, with Connor McBride seeing a header down cleared with one, and Smith being inches away from connecting with another.
At the other end, Matty Daly saw a header saved before he had a shot from the edge of the area deflected over, whilst early substitute Reiss McNally also forced Broome into a fingertip save over the bar.
After the break, Jamie Miley and Harvey Gilmour exchanged shots not far off target, but changes from the bench allowed McNulty’s men to get on top in a second half that was all Dale.
One of those substitutions, Henderson, nodded home Tobi Adebayo-Rowling’s right-wing cross with just over ten minutes remaining.
The pressure continued as Casey Pettit, Jake Burger and Anthony Gomez-Mancini all saw efforts blocked.
Henderson and Gordon also had attempts on target well closed down, whilst Ryan East’s half volley from the edge of the area was well held by George Evans.
Goalkeeper Broome came forward for a flurry of late Dale corners, but they couldn’t provide an equaliser, as Dale slipped to just a fourth league defeat of the season.
Dale XI | Broome, Gordon, East, Ebanks-Landell ©, Gilmour, Rodney (54’ Burger), Adebayo-Rowling, Pritchard (46’ Galvin), McBride (77’ Pettit), Waller (77’ Gomez-Mancini), Smith (70’ Henderson).
Unused subs | Barlow, Moss.
Scorers | 80’ Henderson.
Hartlepool United XI | Evans, Benn, John, Kouogun, Campbell, Charman (61’ Francis), Sheron ©, Hunter (7’ McNally (77’ Ferguson)), Miley, Reid (77’ Reid), Daly.
Unused subs | Smith, Brown, Nathaniel-George.
Scorers | 21’ Kouogon, 29’ Charman.
Attendance | 2,026 (307 away).
