THERE were tears at the final whistle as the pubs and clubs across Teesside fell silent.

But credit goes to the thousands of fans who never stopped cheering the Boro until the frantic final five minutes.

Every pub was filled to the brim as Boro fans who couldn't get to Eindhoven turned out to roar on the team during the biggest night in the club's history.

Many pub doors were locked 30 minutes before the kick-off, as those inside soaked up the building tension.

The opening exchanges between the teams were met with fans chanting "Red Army" and "Come on Boro" every time a player touched the ball.

And even when the first Seville goal went in, there was still a belief that the team could turn things around.

In the Outback pub, Terry Hedges, an accountant from Middlesbrough, remained full of confidence, despite his team going a goal behind in the 25th minute.

He said: "There is no need to panic yet. We've been outplayed so far, but we are getting very good at turning it on in the second half.

"Seville are certainly a different team from Basle and Steaua, but there is still plenty of time to turn it around."

Heidi Bennett, a 30-year-old teacher, said: "We might have fallen behind to a better team but we are not out of it yet - let's see what magic McClaren can produce at half time."

Unfortunately, this time there was to be no football fairytale.

And at the final whistle, the fans' emotions spilled out - with tears and bitter recriminations.

Twenty-one year-old Kerrie MacDonald, from Stockton, sobbed: "I'm absolutely devastated.

"I have been looking forward to this match all week and it's just been ruined. I couldn't believe how badly the team played in such a big game. Overall, though, the scoreline doesn't do them justice."

Paul Cartwright, 31, from Middlesbrough, said: "They never even looked like scoring. I was nervous all day, but I never gave up hope. All our celebrations have been cut short. Frankly, it's just horrific."

Barrie Ogleby, 28, also from Middlesbrough, summed up the fans' mood. He said: "I think everything believes the Boro could have played better but they still did us proud until the last ten minutes.

"We never really looked like getting into the game. To be honest, it was an absolute nightmare if you were a Boro fan."