A DISPUTED penalty kick three minutes ended Chester-le-Street Town Juniors' interest in the FA Youth Cup at the fourth round stage as they were beaten 2-1 in extra-time by Hartlepool United at Moor Park on Tuesday evening.

Despite Hartlepool dominating possession in the opening half, they failed to create any clear chances. Chester took a tenth minute lead when Daniel Graham powered a superb header into the roof of the Pools net, rising at the far post to meet Daniel Newby's pin point free kick.

The second half saw Pools come out strongly, though again, despite a large amount of possession, they struggled to get through the Chester rearguard and force keeper Shaun Beckwith into action. In contrast, the clearer chances of the half fell to the Cestrians with Paul McDonald, Mark Adamson and Daniel Graham, pulling the best out of Pool keeper Kevin Duncan.

The Cestrians then had two penalty appeals turned down by referee Des Coulson. The first saw Duncan bring down Daniel Graham, the second saw Pools' full back Andrew Watts catch Paul McDonald just inside the box - to McDonald's credit he tried to stay on his feet, but gained no advantage.

As the half progressed, Chester restricted Pools to long range efforts, then, with just three minutes remaining, referee Coulson pointed to the penalty spot after a challenge by Chester forward Mark Adamson on substitute Neil Muckles. Regular Pools' spot kick taker John Brackstone stepped up and cooly fired the equaliser.

The game moved into extra-time and in the 96th minute, Andrew Appleby created space in the box to fire home an unstoppable shot to put Pools ahead. Hartlepool then stepped up a gear but could find the third goal to make the game secure. In the final minutes, Chester pushed strongly for an equaliser but to no avail.

Chester Manager Andrew Muxworthy said after the match, "The team is totally gutted. We didnt play very well but we did battle extremely hard and we pushed Hartlepool United all the way.

"I told my players at half-time that I could not see Pools scoring from open play and my opinion didn't change in the second 45 minutes. The decision to award the penalty to Hartlepool was the most crucial decision of the game and in our opinion, the referee got it wrong. You can normally get a feel for these things when none of the Hartlepool players or bench appealed for a spot kick. These things do happen and whilst we have no choice about how we lose, we do have a choice about how we bounce back and prepare to win again."

Chester-le-Street: Beckwith, Coulson, Renshaw, Haggon, Lowther (R Draper 97), Taylor, Flynn (Murray 70), Newby, Graham, Adamson, Smith (McDonald 59).

Hartlepool United: Duncan, Watts, Brackstone, Fox (Robinson 65), Wilkinson, Craddock, Istead, Gilligan (Low 80), Appleby, Maidens, Richards (Muckles 70).

Meanwhile, the Under-18s remain as the only undefeated side in the Fairs Software Tyneside Junior League when, at the weekend, they beat Redheugh Boys Club - the only club, still with a 100 per cent record intact.

The game, scheduled to take place at Chester-le-Street was switched to Eslington Park Gateshead and it was the visiting Chester-le-Street side that made the best start - a start which could have seen them 4-0 up inside the first 25 minutes. Gary Draper missed two clear chances when put through by Daniel Graham. Graham and strike partner Paul McDonald both also went close.

The Cestrians had the better of the first half as they battled against a strong wind. Within six minutes of the re-start, Chester were infront. Daniel Newby's long throw was flicked on by Dan Graham for Paul McDonald to fire home at the back post. The Cestrians then hit the bar twice as they failed to secure a cushion and after this, Redheugh battled back strongly into the game with good possession, though they were restricted to long range efforts. With three minutes to play, Andrew Smith found space at the back post to make the game safe for Chester when he fired home from a tight angle. The final score was 2-0 to Chester-le-Street.

Chester-le-Street: Beckwith, Coulson, Renshaw, Murray (Flynn 80), Haggon, Lowther, G. Draper (Smith 59), Newby, Graham, McDonald, R Draper (Low 59).