SIX minutes and a good few seconds into five minutes of added on time and Hartlepool United are on the brink of reaching round two of the FA Cup.

A corner swings over into the packed penalty area, the same zone in which the majority of the second-half has been played.

Defender Lee Vaughan turns and shoots, the ball spins up into the air. Time stands still at Victoria Park as all eyes are fixed on the ball looping over and across Trevor Carson. It clips the underside of the bar, drops down and Scott Fenwick lumps it away.

Referee Eddie Ilderton blows for full-time. The deflated Cheltenham players sink to the floor en masse.

"It was the longest five seconds of my life, everything seemed to stop. When it hit the bar and bounced down it was such a massive relief,’’ admitted Pools’ loan defender Adam Jackson.

Pools thankfully avoided a replay at Whaddon Road next week and earned their first home win since August 18. Somehow they are in tonight’s draw for round two.

It’s been a while since they last won at Victoria Park, 11 and a half weeks since Fenwick’s piledriver saw off Newport.

It’s fair to say they are going to have to improve if there’s not to be another wait for their next one.

Pools were pressed back throughout the second half. After Kudus Oyenuga netted on half-time to give Pools the lead in a first-half devoid of enjoyment and entertainment, the visitors responded.

Relegated from the Football League last season as Pools stayed up, the Robins had plenty of effort and energy, but lacked authority when it mattered.

Pools were, at times, livelier than they have been of late. Even piling into some tackles, moving forward with welcome urgency and putting defenders under pressure added something extra to the performance.

It may seem very basic attributes, but it’s things they’ve not been doing much of lately.

“Let’s hope for a home draw now,’’ reflected Ronnie Moore. "We were like the away side here which disappoints us, but we are there in the hat.

"It's more money for the club getting through and, like I say, how we did it, I don't know.

"But we're there and we're thankful.

"If I was Gary Johnson now I wouldn’t be too happy going back losing – they have every chance of coming back to the Football League, that's for sure."

Pools’ goal came when Nicky Featherstone broke from deep and went into a tackle, when the ball came out of the block, Rakish Bingham’s intelligent pass played in Oyenuga who made no mistake.

It was his first goal on his first start and the winger, signed in the summer, is now worthy of a run in the side.

Moore added: “There were some positives going forward. Kudus, at times was unplayable, though other times he gave it away.

"There’s work to do but you can see he is raw, quick and direct. I think 15 minutes of him being at his best can win you the game. The goal will give him a boost.’’

Oyenuga saw plenty of the ball in lots of first-half space, but too often checked back inside rather than taking the ball on the outside of the defender and looking to cross.

The raw materials are there to work on, now it’s up to the player and manager to see it comes to the fore.

At the back, without injured Scott Harrison, Adam Jackson made his debut after moving on loan from Middlesbrough.

The early pace of the game was alien to him, but he relished the job and, while exhausted physically and mentally at the end, there was enough defensive nous on show that the loan spell will benefit all parties.

Likewise, Jake Gray brought movement and drive to midfield and a couple of surges into the area were notable.

Moore added: "You have to be careful because that Under 21 football they play. It's a big step up from Under 21 to this. We didn't want him cramping up, so taking Jake off was cautionary really.

"I was happy with them two – both Adam and Jake.

"I was not happy about our ball retention and the amount of crosses coming into our box.

"That's food for thought about what we need to work on.

"It's coming back from up front too cheaply. We can't get out. It's non-stop pressure.

"Every time it went up front, it didn't stick. We've got to look after the ball, if we don't look after the ball, the back four are constantly going to be trying to defend on the edge of our box.

"You have to give the back four credit and the keeper for the way they have dealt with the bombardment."