THREE near misses and Hartlepool United are finally ready to go one better.

A win at Rushden this afternoon will, at the fourth time of asking, see Pool taste end-of-season succes after the play-off woe of recent years.

The Division Three title means everything to Pool's players and their 1,675 fans who will be at Rushden this afternoon.

Defender Graeme Lee, one of four Pool players in this year's PFA team of the season, has been part of the play-off defeats to Darlington, Blackpool and Cheltenham.

And that agony, he believes, will go a long way to finally securing success in the final game of the campaign this afternoon.

"It's been a long time in coming,'' he admitted. "But now the title is all that everyone wants.

"Our main aim all along has been promotion and then, after that, it's about the championship. We thought we might have lost the chance and it might have been taken away from us.

"There was a bit of a bad atmosphere after losing at Scunthorpe, but we bounced back, beat Shrewsbury and now it's all to go for.

"It's a cup game for us now, nothing like the rest of the league games we have played all season. It's massive for the players and the fans who are going down.

"We've played a lot of big games in the play-offs in the last few years and even though we lost them, I think the preparation we went into for those games can help us a lot.

"We go there and the pressure is all on them. We had our chance and didn't take it, then they had theirs and now it's back to our turn again.''

This afternoon could be Lee's 251st and final game in a Pool shirt. The longest-serving player at the club has yet to sign a new contract and looks likely to leave on a free transfer, with Sheffield Wednesday and a reunion with former boss Chris Turner the likely destination.

He added: "I don't think they will be looking forward to playing us because they know we are a good team. We had a great win last week and they couldn't manage one. Let's hope they are a little edgy and nervous.

"Winning 3-0 last week sends out all the right messages, it shows we are not down, not beaten and that we won't let it go.

"We should have beaten Rochdale at home, I don't know how many chances we had but the ball wouldn't go in. It came right against Shrewsbury and now it has to continue.

"They way we were promoted at Scunthorpe wasn't nice and there was no way we wanted our season to end then. Everyone was disappointed that day, us as much as the fans.

"We were promoted but there were no celebrations or anything. Everyone knew we had to go out against Shrewsbury and turn it on.''

Rushden skipper Paul Underwood said: "We saw all the Hartlepool lads at the PFA dinner and wished each other good luck.

"There was a little bit of banter too but we have respect because we are the best two teams in the league. Everyone has been in good spirits this week and we are going into this game after a ten-match unbeaten run so we are confident, especially being at home.

"We are not playing for a draw - we are not the sort.

"Hartlepool will come here with the pressure on them because they must win. I'm sure that in the last 20 or 30 minutes they will throw caution to the wind and that will suit us.''

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