After 29 games, almost 65 weeks and 455 days, the longest unbeaten home run in English football is over.
Barnsley yesterday became the first team since Rushden and Diamonds on September 28, 2002 to win a League game at Victoria Park.
There was fury at the final whistle as the run was ended, but it wasn't directed at the players.
It was saved for referee Mark Halsey after he denied Pool what appeared to be two stonewall penalties in injury time - penalties which could have kept the proud run intact.
Steven Istead was hauled down in the area, Halsey played on; Chris Lumsdon handled a cross, Halsey played on.
Pool boss Neale Cooper accused the Premiership whistler - or non-whistler on yesterday's woeful show - of "bottling it".
Cooper, though, managed to keep his emotions in check to prevent his true feelings being aired.
He said: "It's really disappointing because we had enough chances to win the game, but if you don't take them you get punished.
"I couldn't fault the workrate and effort, but then there were some decisions at the end which I'm not too happy about.
"First Istead is in the box and gets his jumper pulled off and then it's handball at the end - the ball hit the lad's hand.
"It definitely hit him, no question. I've tried to speak to the referee, but I can't say any more.''
He added: "We played a lot of good stuff, but we needed that little bit of luck in the box, something to drop kindly for us.
"Strachan was away and you would put your house on him to score like that, then a couple of minutes later it was 1-1.
"The fans were great to us. They have gone away disappointed but they have watched an entertaining and end-to-end game.''
Ritchie Humphreys had a lively game - he was always at the hub of Pool's attacks in the first-half. His early surge down the left took him past Jacob Burns and Paul Warhurst, but when the ball came to Mark Tinkler 25 yards out his low shot was pulled wide.
Warhurst then swung over a vicious cross from the right, which Anthony Kay headed over the bar.
On-loan Chris Shuker picked up the ball deep in his own half, exchanged a couple of passes then raced from his own half beyond the defenders. His only soulmate was Joel Porter, but, after he was hauled down by Garry Monk as he raced to offer support, Shuker's only option was to fire a low shot which Sasa Illic - the scourge of Sunderland at Wembley in 1998 - saved.
At the other end, Westwood headed away a cross only as far as Jon Walters, who side-footed inches over from eight yards.
Eifion Williams' fifth goal of the season came on 22 minutes. Humphreys launched a long throw from the right, Tinkler flicked it on and Williams side-footed into the net.
Minutes later, as a corner bounced around the Barnsley area, Micky Nelson's goalbound shot was deflected over.
Pool, wind assisted, were shooting every time they got within sight of Illic, and Humphreys curled one wide before Williams latched on to Porter's flick and shot over.
Then the lights went out on Pool - quite literally. After last season's games with York and Bury saw power cuts, the floodlights went off yesterday for seven minutes in the first half.
They soon came on, and Strachan had a chance to double the Pool lead and brighten up the day.
The chance came after a scare for Pool when Steve Carson flicked a header over the advancing Provett, but Nelson coolly took a touch to control the ball and immediately started an attack.
Humphreys took the ball away, waited for the Barnsley defence to push up and fed the advancing Strachan. He looked a certain scorer, but pushed the ball wide of Illic's far post.
Seconds later, the scores were level. Provett saved Walters' shot and the ball spun up for Betsy to tap into the net.
From looking certainties to go two goals up and buoyant, Pool went into the second half all square and with a near galeforce wind and driving rain in their faces.
In a difficult 45 minutes, Pool needed their fans to show patience. That's something they were not doing last Saturday when Pool could not find a way through a stubborn Colchester back four and it was again often in short supply yesterday.
The first real chance of the half came when Shuker sent Porter away. He tore into the penalty area and as he was about to shoot, Monk slid in from the side to steal the ball. The tackle was firm and the crowd wildly appealed for a penalty. But, on this occasion, Halsey appeared to get it right.
His mistakes were to come later.
Haywood tried to use the conditions to his advantage, but lofted his shot high over the bar from 25 yards.
But Betsy raced away from the Pool defence on 69 minutes to shoot low under Provett. He collected Walters' ball, beat Westwood, strangely below par, for pace and although Provett got a touch, he could not keep it out.
Cooper sent on Paul Robinson, Darrell Clarke and Steven Istead to try to grab an equaliser. It nearly came when Monk headed Istead's cross into his side netting.
Clarke got the ball beyond Illic with three minutes to go after a scramble, but somehow Craig Ireland stretched to acrobatically clear from under the bar and, from the corner, Nelson's header flashed wide.
If Halsey got his earlier penalty decision right, in injury time he got two horribly, horribly wrong. Istead's pace took him into the area and Ireland floored the winger. Halsey took a good look and somehow waved play on.
The referee, alleged to be one of the nation's best, proved it is possible to infuriate and annoy people in both Premiership and the Nationwide League when Lumsdon handled and he played on.
Result: Hartlepool United 1 Barnsley 2.
Read more about Hartlepool here.
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