POOLE & East Dorset are off to Wembley in the English Schools Under-15 Trophy quarter-finals after a dramatic fifth round penalty shoot-out victory over Swansea at Canford Park.

The sides shared the spoils in a riveting 4-4 draw after extra-time, but Poole kept their cool from the spot, scoring all five penalty kicks to beat the Welshmen 5-3 in a dramatic finale.

Poole’s reward is an away-day last-eight showdown with Wembley-based Brent, who beat Southampton – ironically, in another penalty shoot-out.

As 16 goals in three games leading up to the Swansea tie would suggest, Poole are in a rich vein of form – and once again they didn’t disappoint.

Swansea, who knocked the junior Dolphins out of the national competition last season, applied heavy early pressure but, having weathered the initial storm, Poole began to dominate.

A well-worked move down the left saw little Keelan O’Connell pick up Sam Surridge, whose fierce shot put Poole in front.

Poole had several chances to double their lead after that but midway through the opening period Matt Neale played in Ryan Kelly, who turned the Swansea central defenders before calmly slotting the ball under the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

Almost from the restart Swansea replied through Aaron Lewis, from the penalty spot.

Poole surrendered their two-goal advantage soon after the break – Lewis doubling his account after keeper Tom Storey was unable to hold a low shot.

The superb Canford Park Sports Astroturf – a state-of-the-art FIFA recommended two-star surface –was ideal for the respective teams to ply their skills and, with attack the preferred option, more goals were to follow.

After Ashley Harris had bungled a great chance for Swansea, Poole got their noses back in front – Frankie White cutting in to score a well taken opportunist goal and make it 3-2.

But if Poole thought White’s goal was a winner, they were mistaken. Not long before the end, Storey spilled Harris’s shot and Swansea were level 3-3.

Ben White broke the deadlock in extra-time with a Beckhamesque lob from almost 50 yards towards the right-hand touchline, which caught the Swansea goalkeeper off his line.

Storey atoned for his earlier slips with a superb save at the feet of Swansea’s Craig Morgan but minutes later was left high and dry as Joe Roden pounced on a Poole defensive slip to salvage the tie at 4-4 and set up the penalty shoot-out finale.

Ben White, Neale, Kelly, Surridge and Curtis Young tucked their spot kicks away with aplomb, whereas two-goal Aaron Lewis rolled Swansea’s second penalty wide of Gerrard Benfield’s left-hand post the substitute goalkeeper having replaced Storey between the post.

Relieved Poole & East Dorset coach Steve Llewelyn said: “I said at half time that we wouldn't want our missed chances to come back and haunt us and they very nearly did.

“But all credit to the boys, each time Swansea levelled we got a grip back on the game and played some decent attacking football to create a number of openings.

“We showed great character and spirit and as usual the high tempo football we played in the attacking third was excellent.”

It is the second time Poole & East Dorset have reached the last eight in recent seasons.

Saints starlet Ben Reeves, who has just gone out on loan to Southend United, was in their 2007 ESFA Cup final side - no mean feat for a relatively small association.