THEY say pride comes before a fall but for Poole Town, that feeling came after their tumble.

Dumped out of the FA Vase in Saturday’s semi-final second leg at the home of holders Whitley Bay, Dolphins’ players saw their Wembley dream disappear.

Not getting the chance to showcase their skills at the national stadium left Tom Killick’s squad with a major sense of disappointment, while some even left the Hillheads pitch in tears.

But a few days on, with the dust settled on their north east heartbreak, other emotions have begun to creep in.

Captain Carl Poore, who sustained a nasty second-half injury, was left powerless and watched from the dugout as his team were knocked out of the competition.

The feelings in the dressing room after the 3-1 defeat (5-2 on aggregate) were understandably dominated by despair, but the Dolphins skipper was in a more upbeat mood when he reflected on the club’s Vase run earlier this week.

Speaking from his home, where he was resting his heavily swollen ankle, Poore told the Echo: “It was very, very upsetting and there were quite a few tears in the changing room. If Poole Town get promoted, I don’t believe we will get a chance like that again.

“But I think we can look back and take the positives – the fans, the run, the team bonding. And the publicity – seeing ourselves in the local paper – made the players feel good.

“I still believe we are one of the best step five clubs in the country. From Clive Robbins (chairman) and Chris Reeves (vice-chairman) to everyone behind the scenes, they put in so much hard work.

“We received a couple of text messages saying people were proud of us and the players were happy with that. The fans knew we gave it our all. Unfortunately, we just fell at the final hurdle.

“We got knocked out in the semi-final. But if we look back at the FA Cup and the FA Vase, and if we win the league, it would be a great season for Poole Town.

“If someone had said we were going to be one game from Wembley and one round from the first round proper of the FA Cup, we would have snapped off their hands.”

Poore, who revealed he had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle as well as, possibly, a small crack to a bone, in unsure how long he will spend on the sidelines.

But he is desperate to see Dolphins end the season on a high – by claiming a third consecutive Wessex League Premier Division title.

He added: “We have got our work cut out to win the league with the fixtures that are coming up.

“It is going to be a tough task but we have got to bounce back, which I think the players will do because they are strong.

“The league is ours to lose now. We have got to make sure we focus on it and finish the job.

“I don’t mind watching but I would rather be out there playing. But I have got faith in my fellow players that they will do the job.”