FOR 11 long minutes the thousands upon thousands of supporters from the North-East were having to pinch themselves at the prospect of Hartlepool United playing Championship football come August.

Pool were leading but, in one quick flash, a penalty was given, a Pool player was sent off, Sheffield Wednesday were level and on the road to victory.

The tears of red-carded Chris Westwood at the final whistle summed up the feeling of those around him.

They say football can be cruel and it proved so yesterday when Westwood, so often the club's Mr Consistent, was the man to feel like he had the whole world on his shoulders by the end.

Out of contract this summer, there is talk of the accomplished defender moving on and the controversial penalty he was adjudged to have conceded could well be his last act as Pool player.

Harsh? Extremely. But he shouldn't feel too downhearted and neither should the rest of his team-mates, who felt the brunt of defeat in equal measure and lay sprawled on the Millennium Stadium turf heartbroken at the end.

But just to be at Cardiff, playing in front of a near 60,000 crowd was a momentous achievement for all those players wearing the red shirts of Hartlepool United yesterday afternoon - and that in itself is something the whole town will never forget.

In their droves they came, 16,500 of them to South Wales in planes, trains and automobiles just for a glimpse of Pool's heroes of 2005 rewriting the history books.

The £1m-plus cash windfall that goes hand in hand with a place in the Championship mattered very little to those supporters; all they cared about was league standing.

Outnumbered by nearly three to one they may have been but Pool's supporters always had the intention of enjoying the day, and they did just that.

Sheffield Wednesday couldn't face the prospect of defeat, Pool could. But the unthinkable prospect of Victoria Park swapping places with two-times European Cup winners Nottingham Forest became a distinct possibility.

From a rendition of club anthem Two Little Boys half an hour before kick-off through to shaking hands with the dignitaries and the national anthem, the day resembled FA Cup final day - and to the Pool supporters it meant just as much.

And little wonder. A statement printed above the giant scoreboards at both ends summed it up perfectly: "72 clubs. The Coca-Cola Football League". This was Pool's chance to rightfully claim a place among the top 24 of that group for the first time ever.

It was an opportunity that very few, if any, would have expected to come calling at the door of a club saved from dropping into the Conference by re-election on 14 previous occasions.

But it was also richly deserved after six years consistent improvement that culminated in yesterday afternoon's play-off final.

It didn't matter that there were 24,000 more supporters from South Yorkshire than the North-East contingent; nothing was going to dampen the spirits of the Pool faithful.

Caretaker boss Martin Scott may have started the game in the new charcoal grey suit and buttonhole that had been bought for the whole squad by the club, but the jacket soon disappeared when Wednesday quickly found their feet.

Nerves clearly played a part in Pool's first half and the anxiety of the manager reflected in his side's play. Nevertheless they were on the verge of escaping to half-time level until Jon-Paul McGovern struck the opening goal.

But Pool, with nothing to lose beforehand and even less to lose after that strike, kept spirits up in the stands and in the dressing room and responded in the sort of manner Victoria Park has become accustomed to.

Eifion Williams, surely devastated at being overlooked for the biggest game of his career, appeared from nowhere at the back post to strike home a long Ritchie Humphreys throw-in and Pool were level.

Then the remarkable crossed everyone's mind. Sixty-six seconds after emerging as a substitute, Jon Daly very nearly put himself into Hartlepool folklore by rising in the penalty area to head Gavin Strachan's free-kick into the net - an incident that led to the latter's father Gordon punching the air in delight.

But the harsh reality of a Steven MacLean penalty and a Westwood sending off came calling.

The task from there was always going to be an impossible one and Glenn Whelan's third goal, plus Drew Talbot's injury-time fourth, highlighted the fact.

For now the improbable dream of Championship football is over but for one sunny May afternoon in Glamorgan it very nearly arrived.