HARTLEPOOL United and the play-offs just don't go together.

For the second season in a row, Pool have suffered end of season agony - last year Darlington, this time around it was Blackpool's turn to inflict play-off pain on Chris Turner's side and you won't find anyone at Victoria Park singing the praises of the end of season shake-up.

Sunday's 2-0 first-leg defeat made Wednesday night's task a tough one for Pool, but another strike from Brett Ormorod after 21 minutes made it an impossible task.

Kevin Henderson gave Pool a glimmer of hope when he levelled the score on the night, but quick-fire efforts from Ormerod and John Hills left Pool again thinking what might have been on a night when substitute Jermaine Easter was red-carded after a show of petulance.

Pool weren't put under as much pressure as they were at Bloomfield Road when they were battered into submission, but Blackpool again controlled proceedings.

Turner's side enjoyed a League double over Steve McMahon's team, but in the play-offs it counted for nothing and Pool have missed out on a first visit to Cardiff's Millennium Stadum on May 26.

Victoria Park was the hive of noise Turner had called for come 7.30 - stark contrast to 90 minutes earlier when the groundstaff were sweeping water off the saturated surface.

Pool were handed a shock boost when influential Blackpool midfielder Paul Simpson was missing from the visitors' line-up. Turner threw James Sharp back in the team and he was soon called upon to clear his lines when Brett Ormerod - Sunday's two-goal assassin - wriggled his way into the area.

In a furious opening, Sharp was soon in hot-water with referee Uriah Rennie after a crunching challenge on Ormerod. Rennie waved away Pool appeals after Ian Clark was felled on the edge of the area - and Pool were showing more fight for the occasion than they did at Bloomfield Road.

Pool's downfall was their failure to keep crosss away from visiting keeper Phil Barnes as a succession of crosses from deep were steered towards the keeper.

And they paid the ultimate penalty on 21 minutes. Gary Parkinson whipped in a free-kick from the left and in a packed penalty ara Ormerod flicked it past Anthony Williams.

Ormerod's strike partner John Murphy was given a ticking-off by Rennie after lunging in on Williams as the ball was whipped in to the near post and he then appeared to strike out at Pool skipper Micky Barron.

Pool were fruitlessly appealing for a penalty when Clark's chip cannonned off the hand of giant defender Danny Shittu. Clark then tried his luck from 25-yards and his left-footed volley almost caught out Barnes when it spun up off the surface.

Turner's side might have been three goals down on aggregate, but they refused to cave in and Stephenson was trying to dictate play from the middle of the park, but constantly found a wall of orange shirts in his way.

Pool's best chance to break their play-off deadlock came when Miller nodded down Clark's chip and in a busy penalty area, Anh Lormor's effort was agonsingly scrambled away.

Turner had 45 minutes to salvage some pride and threw Graeme Lee and Jermaine Easter into a three-pronged attack with Henderson.

Darren Knowles and Lormor made way ad the move paid instant dividend. Stephenson's right-wing cross found Henderson at the far post and his flying volley crashed past Barnes - Pool's first shot on target in the two-legs.

But within a minute, the hopeHenderson's goal brought was cruelly taken away. Ormerod chipped across goal and the ball hit John Hills and beat Williams.

It could have been worse for Pool seconds later, but somehow Tommy Jaszczun somehow pushed the ball wide of an open net.

Pool's misery was oon compounded when Easter was red-carded nine minutes after his introduction. After breaking into the area, he was robbed by Brian Reid and as the defender took the ball out of defence, the Welshman kicked out and hcked down Reid.

Turner was forced into another tactical change, this time switching to a 4-4-1 line-up with Henderson ploughing a lone furrow up front.

But he saw little of the ball as Pool were forced onto the bac foot and the game was over as a spectacle before Hills broke into the area and from his deft chip, Ormerod planted another header home.

Pool dug out a number of half-chances as they kept going to the bitter end, with Barnes finally called into action, but the visitors over two legs were simply too good for Turner's braves.

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