DIMI Konstantopoulos was the hero as Hartlepool United won a thrilling penalty shoot-out over Hull City last night.

The giant Greek goalkeeper kept out two Hull spot-kicks and, with Pool converting four efforts, won a place in round two of the LDV Vans Trophy.

Gavin Strachan, Adam Boyd, John Brackstone and Joel Porter were all on target from the spot for Pool.

Last season Pool bowed out of the competition at the first hurdle, going out on penalties at Oldham.

And, of course, everyone remembers the penalty shoot-out at Cheltenham, when Pool were so close to a place in the play-off final of 2003.

But, they had penalty joy last night in front of just over 1,500 fans at Victoria Park.

The stay-away fans - the crowd was well over 3,000 down on the average attendance - missed a treat.

This competition may have it's knockers and mockers, but you won't find anyone at Victoria Park joining the chorus this morning.

After being 2-0 and then 3-2 down, Porter pulled Pool back into the tie in the second period of extra-time when he grabbed a deserved goal after a night of non-stop graft.

Pool were two down to goals from Jason Price and Stuart Green.

But a Strachan penalty, which was awarded after Hull keeper Boaz Myhill was red-carded, and Alan Pouton's first goal for the club dragged Neale Cooper's side level.

Stuart Green put the visitors - who are back at Victoria Park on Saturday for a League game - in front again, before Porter's intervention.

The draw for the second round is made on Sky Sports Soccer AM on Saturday morning.

Pool: Konstantopoulos, Barron, Nelson, Williams, Strachan, Porter, Woods, Pouton, Robson, Brackstone, Istead. Subs: Provett, Tinkler, Humphreys, Boyd, Craddock.

Hull City: Myhill, Thelwell, Hinds, Lewis, Edge, Price, Ashbee, Green, Keane, Facey, Walters. Subs: Duke, Wiseman, France, Allsopp, Elliott

l Arsene Wenger feels Jose Antonio Reyes could well be the man to spearhead Arsenal's quest for Champions League glory.

The Gunners boss is the first to admit the young Spaniard has been a revelation this season.

Reyes, who was not selected for his country's Euro 2004 campaign, signalled his intent to be anything but a bit-part player at Highbury with a fine strike in the Community Shield victory over Manchester United.

He has operated in a wider position for much of the season, but with the non-flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp not travelling to Norway for tonight's Group E encounter with Rosenborg, Reyes is set to get his chance down the middle.

And Wenger is in no doubt it will be a smooth transition.

''He has a big part to play in the game,'' reflected the Arsenal manager. ''He has been fantastic and adapted quickly. His character is stronger and certainly since the start of the season he has been a big, and good, surprise.

''He can play wide left, or in just behind. He is an expected replacement for Dennis, especially away from home in Europe - that is why I bought him.

''At the moment he is happy out wide on the left. He has freedom on the wing. I feel he will be a central player, but at the moment he feels comfortable on the left.''

Wenger is wary of putting too much expectation on the 21-year-old's shoulders.

''He is in a Rooney situation a little bit.

''That is what people expect now from Reyes, that he scores in every game, but football is not as simple as that.

''When you are young, it is a little bit cyclic, you go up and down. We can cope with that because we have a lot of players who can make the difference.''

Wenger will, however, have to do without one key man for the next few weeks at least as Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva is unavailable because of a lower back problem.

''It does not look good, because he will be at least one month without physical effort,'' revealed the Arsenal manager.

''It is a strange injury, because it is usually concerned with young people. I don't know if it is a recurrence of something he had at one stage.''

Read more about Hartlepool here.