Pools well and truly upset the odds here at The Vic this evening to knock Premier League outfit West Brom out of the Carling Cup with a deserved and historic 3-1 victory.

A truly entertaining clash which will be remembered for some time by those Poolies present here at Victoria Park this evening.  

A Joel Porter goal in the second half was cancelled out by a late strike from Robert Koren but, with the game going into extra time, subs David Foley and Richard Barker gave Pools the advantage and Danny Wilson's men held on for victory meaning Pools name will now go into the draw for the Third Round.

Wilson's men responded in the best possible way to Saturday's disappointing defeat to Stockport County by throwing everything at West Brom right from kick off.

Pools played some strong attacking football and made sure Tony Mowbray's team knew that it would not be an easy evening for them.

The first chance of the game came when Gary Liddle put it out wide for the impressive Joel Porter on the left, he did well to push to the by-line before cutting it back into the box but the ball was intercepted and put out for a corner kick before a Pools player could get the final touch.

While Pools looked the brighter of the two sides, West Brom looked a big threat going forward and Wilson's men had to remain strong at the back - Sam Collins in particular looked in determined mood as he threw himself into every challenge.

Michael Nelson put in a good tackle on Luke Moore in a dangerous position inside the box and, although the Baggies' man appealed for the penalty, the referee waved play on.

The best chance of the half came on the quarter hour mark when Jamie McCunnie lifted a teasing ball over the top which found Joel Porter running in on goal and, with Dean Kiely stuck in no-man's land, the Aussie forward lifted the ball over the keeper only to see it dip just the wrong side of the crossbar.

A McCunnie corner kick was next to test the visiting rearguard - the full back lifted the ball in from the right, it was then hit out to the edge of the area where Antony Sweeney was on hand to smash it goalwards - unfortunately his effort whacked Robert Koren in the face, knocking him from his feet before being cleared from danger.

Roman Bednar rifled in a shot from twenty-five yards at the other end but Arran Lee-Barrett did well to block his shot. From the resulting corner kick Koren fired the ball at goal through a crowded area but Lee-Barrett blocked the effort on the line before McCunnie cleared.

Pools had the ball in the back of the net mid-way through the half after a great surging run by Ritchie Humphreys saw the ball played into the left channel for James Brown.

Some fancy footwork and a pin-point pass later and Joel Porter found himself in the perfect position to nod past Kiely but the assistant referee had other ideas and his raised flag saw the effort ruled out for offside.

There were further chances for the lively Andy Monkhouse and saves from Lee-Barrett to deny both Borja Valero and Chris Brunt before the break but the two teams went in goalless at half time after a good showing from Wilson's men.

Tony Mowbray clearly had some strong words for his side at half time and, coupled with the introduction of the pacy Sherjill MacDonald, the visitors posed more of a threat to Pools in the second period.

Arran Lee-Barrett had to be lively as the half burst into life; the big keeper pulled out some brave blocks to deny Luke Moore and then Bednar.

The game was much more end-to-end after the break as both teams worked hard to break the deadlock

When James Brown was brought to the ground just before the hour mark by Leon Barnett inside the area, the Poolie faithful in the Town End screamed out for a penalty kick but the referee awarded a goal kick for the visitors.

Moments later though and Pools were celebrating, a weak ball back from the otherwise solid Jonathan Greening saw Gary Liddle push on to pressure Leon Barnett and the midfielder did brilliantly to nick possession just inside the West Brom box. Liddle squared the ball for the in-running Porter who slid it home past Kiely to give Pools the lead and get himself a deserved reward for a very hard-working display.

The visitors maintained their pressure after the goal and looked set to still have some say over the outcome of the game - Jonathan Greening found himself in a great position to make amends but with the ball finding him just ten yards out on goal, the midfielder slipped as he hit his shot and the ball went high over the bar.

Valero tried his luck with a speculative effort from thirty yards but Lee-Barrett showed safe hands to hold the shot while the big keeper was brave to snatch possession from the feet of Moore.

Pools weren't happy to just defend though and went out in search of a second goal; some good movement by James Brown on the left wing saw the ball whipped in at pace to the box but the arriving Sweeney could only help the ball go wide of target.

Wilson's men were worked hard for spells by the hosts, but Tony Mowbray's men were shown little favour by a Pools side with the bit between their teeth.

For a spell sub MacDonald and Lee-Barrett were having their own personal battle as the midfielder tried his luck with shots from the edge of the box but each time the Pools' stopper got down to hold or block his efforts.

But with less than five minutes remaining on the clock, Robert Koren picked up possession on the edge of the area and curled an impressive shot round Lee-Barrett and into the top right hand corner of the net to draw the two sides level late in normal time.

Pools responded well though. Great work by Matty Robson on the left wing saw the sub burst into the box, turn his way past his man before putting a teasing ball into the centre of the box which just agonisingly missed the outstretched leg of the in-running Sweeney.

David Foley was knocked to the ground on the very edge of the box but once again the referee was reluctant to make the decision and play continued.

And so the two sides were level on the ninety-minute mark and the game went into extra time - an impressive display by Pools against a Premier League side

West Brom went desperately close to grabbing an early lead in extra time when Barnett hit the bar with a glancing header from a corner kick and then Luke Bennett followed up with a poor effort which went high over the bar.

Minutes later and Roman Valero struck the crossbar for West Brom again with a free kick from a dangerous position.

And then things swung in Pools' favour once again; Foley was fouled by Marek Cech and the referee awarded a free kick twenty-fiev yards out on goal. Gary Liddle reacted first to take the free kick quickly, slipping it right for Sweeney - he poked the ball into the box for Cup favourite David Foley who bundled his way in to the six yard box before firing past Kiely to give the advantage again back to Pools.

Tony Mowbray's side made it a hat-trick of hitting the woodwork in this first period of extra time - this time Jonathan Greening saw his free kick cannon off the crossbar and out of play.

Just three minutes after taking the lead and Pools had made it 3-1 - Matty Robson the architect of this crucial goal for Pools.

Robson burst forward down the left wing, cut into the box before battling hard to find space for a shot - despite losing out to the defender, Robson threw himself into the challenge, won back possession and whipped a great ball across the face of goal for Richard Barker at the far post, who rose well to squeeze a headed effort between Kiely and the post to make it 3-1.

Despite pressure from the visitors in the second period of extra time, Pools were not letting go of their lead and as the minutes ticket down, it seemed clear that it would be Wilson's men who would see their name in the draw for the Third Round of the Carling Cup.

An impressive and professional display by Pools against Premier League opposition was thoroughly deserving of the victory and everyone at The Vic will now be eagerly awaiting the big draw.

Att: 3387 (379 away)

Pools: Lee-Barrett, McCunnie, Nelson, Collins, Humphreys, Sweeney, Liddle, Jones, Monkhouse (Robson57), Brown (Foley 85), Porter (Barker 85)
Subs Not Used: Budtz, Power, Mackay, Rowell

West Brom: Kiely, Hoefkens, Cech, Barnett, Koren (Pele 95), Greening, Bednar (Beattie 65), Brunt (MacDonald 46), Moore, Meite, Valero
Subs Not Used: Dorrans, Carson, Slusarski, Martis