CLITHEROE'S south western safari may have ended in tears but the Blues travelling army refused to let it dampen their spirits, writes ANDY NEILD.

Those hardy souls whose 12-hour round trip began at the crack of dawn were still singing when their coach finally rolled back into the North West late on Saturday night.

Earlier in the day, the sleepy Devonshire town of Tiverton was awash with blue and white.

Over 150 fans made the 300-mile pilgrimage south by car and coach, dreaming of Wembley.

And for 64 superb minutes that looked a real possibility until the cream eventually rose to the top.

"At the end of it all we've still had a brilliant day," said Blues supporter Tim Wells, his face still daubed in blue and white face paint.

"We caught the bus full of hope and expectation at 6.30am and after 60 minutes we'd thought we'd done it until they scored.

"But our lads did their best and they were ultimately beaten by a better team.

"All the players came into the bar after the game and said they were really sorry to us for losing.

"And when you see they are more disappointed than you, you don't seem to mind quite as much."

The team themselves travelled down the day before and could not have been better prepared for their big day.

Strikers Jon Riley and Brian Welch were on fire in a training session held near their HQ on Friday afternoon. During the evening the atmosphere was relaxed as the players sat down to a three course meal in the hotel restaurant, just yards away from ex-England star Peter Beardsley and his Hartlepool team-mates.

Club comedians Chris Grimshaw and Riley kept the one-liners flowing and the squad were allowed a couple of drinks to help them relax before disappearing for an early night.

A light breakfast was swiftly followed by a last minute training session on the morning of the match.

Then came manager Steve Parry's most difficult moment as he informed those who were set to miss out before a quick team conference and the short trip down to the ground.

Backed by a noisy Clitheroe following, everything went perfectly to the script as the Blues more than held their own for over an hour.

Then the hopes and dreams of all their supporters went up in smoke when a classy home side struck twice in clinical style in the space of two minutes.

"I honestly think if we'd have scored just before half time then I think we would have won but it wasn't to be," said Tim. "Obviously, we're all disappointed to have gone out but the atmosphere on the coach, both there and back, was brilliant.

"But we'll be back next season and we'll be right behind them again because we're all one big family and we are in it together."

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