Heartbreak over Hartlepool United's Papa John's Trophy semi-final defeat to Rotherham United is an example of how far Pools have come

The draw moved Pools into second place of the National League table, two points behind leaders Sutton United who held three games in hand on Dave Challinor’s side.

While Pools were certainly still in contention for promotion at that stage, it was the kind of result, against a side in mid-table, which made you think they would perhaps fall just short of that elusive, and only, automatic promotion spot.

Of course the season would end up a memorable one for Pools are they did things the hard way by claiming promotion via a penalty shootout in the play-off final against Torquay United.

Fast forward 12 months and it was penalties again for Pools, now under the stewardship of Graeme Lee, but this time in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Quite how far Pools have journeyed over the last year should scarcely be forgotten.

And what makes it even more remarkable is the journey has been shared by a lot of the same players.

Of that team who were held by Altrincham a year ago in the National League, seven of those in the starting line-up remain with the club today. Six of those seven started Pools’ semi-final tie against Rotherham United.

Pools weren’t competing for points towards promotion back to the Football League on this occasion. Here they were gunning for a little piece of history with a chance to walk out at Wembley for the first ever time.

Was this as significant? As a football club, perhaps not.

The rhetoric all along, and quite rightly, is that promotion back to the Football League was one of the finer, and most important, feats within the club’s history to get Pools back where they feel they belong.

But Wednesday’s semi-final with Rotherham represented something a little different.

The Papa John’s Trophy is a competition which often gets overlooked throughout a season. The decision to incorporate Premier League youth teams has put a blemish on things over the years with League One and Two clubs now seeing it as an opportunity to rotate their squads with priorities laying elsewhere.

Lee himself has often shuffled his pack throughout this cup run, making wholesale changes in each of the knockout rounds up to this point with the focus very much on Pools’ first season back in League Two.

But the semi-final struck a different chord.

With Pools a long way down the road to securing their Football League status for next season, suddenly the prospect and the opportunity to reach Wembley took over a town starved of much success in recent times.

Pools fans never really got to share in the moments of last season as they were banished to their streaming devices with the country locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just over 3,000 supporters were fortunate enough to be at Ashton Gate to celebrate the moment Pools marked their return to English football’s top four tiers and maybe that is why this semi-final with Rotherham, this beautiful and colourful semi-final with all its drama and harmony is why there was such a significance placed upon it.

Not since a crowd of 7,629 in May 2007 as Pools hosted Bristol Rovers had the Suit Direct Stadium seen as many clicks through the turnstiles. Maybe it has never seen such an atmosphere.

Long before the two teams even came out to complete their warm-ups, Pools fans were making their way into the ground. There were flags and banners, hats and scarves and a sea of blue and white weeks in the planning.

After the game, Lee described walking out as a real ‘wow’ moment as his players headed into a cauldron of noise. At that stage, it was hard to believe this was merely an EFL Trophy semi-final. It felt so much bigger than that.

And the game befitted the occasion on every level. An almost classic David and Goliath tie as newly promoted Pools, the underdogs, pitted their wits against the best team in the competition, the League One leaders, a team who are more than likely to be two divisions higher than Pools come August.

But after a tense start, where the visitors demonstrated just why they may well be two divisions higher than Pools in August, Lee’s side got about their business as they have done so often in the cups this season, swatting off higher-level opposition at will.

Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic have all fallen by the wayside in this competition, with Morecambe also edged on penalties. In the FA Cup, Wycombe Wanderers, Lincoln City and Blackpool all met their match against Pools before the Premier League and Crystal Palace finally brought things to an end.

In that sense, Rotherham knew what they were in for at the Suit Direct Stadium, and they got every bit of it.

The game may not have panned out how the majority of the 7,532 crowd had hoped, with players, management and supporters forced to put on a brave face to hide their heartbreak. But when you reflect over the last 12 months, and the ride this football club has been on, there can be nothing but pride emerges through those feelings of sadness.

The mere fact Pools made it to within a kick of the ball from Wembley in a Football League competition, considering where this club has been in recent years, is something to acknowledge.

Had that kick of the ball gone in Pools’ favour from 12 yards supporters would be rejoicing, the club’s PA system would have belted out the songs as the chorus ‘I’m feeling a change’ would have been sung.

But maybe it could be time to find a new song for their post-match celebrations because no longer is there a change in the air. That change is already here for Pools, even in defeat.

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