Cherries suffered penalty shoot-out heartache at the Galpharm Stadium after Huddersfield booked a place in the League One play-off final at Old Trafford tonight.

Cherries lost the shoot-out 4-2 after 90 minutes and half-an-hour of extra-time had failed to separate the two sides after a truly absorbing contest finished 3-3.

Lee Peltier handed the home side the lead on 26 minutes after Lee Clark’s men had dominated the opening skirmishes.

Steve Lovell’s penalty two minutes before the break levelled matters for Lee Bradbury’s side, but it was short-lived, with Danny Ward restoring the Terriers’ advantage less than two minutes later.

Lovell then restored parity with a stunning effort just after the hour before Danny Ings’s header in the 103rd minute looked to have won the clash for the visitors.

Antony Kay, though, made it 3-3 with a header of his own before Cherries captain Jason Pearce saw red for an ugly challenge on Kevin Kilbane seven minutes from time.

That meant penalties and both Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson failed to score as the hosts set up a clash against either Peterborough or MK Dons on May 29 in Manchester.

Bradbury’s side remained unchanged following Saturday’s first leg, although Mathieu Baudry and Michael Symes were handed places on the bench with Stephen Purches and Ben Williamson making way.

Clark, meanwhile, restored leading scorer Jordan Rhodes and Jack Hunt to his starting 11, with Joey Gudjonsson and Scott Arfield dropping to the bench.

Gary Roberts almost handed the hosts the lead inside 30 seconds, but Shwan Jalal beat away the lively winger’s effort from close range.

Roberts found himself in space again just over three minutes later but this time he was denied by Adam Smith’s challenge.

The cauldron-like atmosphere had clearly galvanised the home side, with Cherries firmly on the back foot during the opening exchanges.

Ings, though, did well to create an opening as the clock ticked past eight minutes, the young striker’s shot from just inside the Terriers box sliding narrowly wide after good work from Feeney in the build-up.

Roberts again went close after 12 minutes, his left-foot curler flashing wide of Jalal’s post, while at the other end, Smith’s right-foot drive from 25 yards also failed to find the target.

Cherries came more into the clash midway through the first half, with Feeney in particular giving Gary Naysmith a hard time down the right flank, but the visitors had Jalal to thank again when he clawed the ball away under pressure from Benik Afobe and Jordan Rhodes.

Afobe’s appeals for a penalty after a challenge by Shaun Cooper were waved away by referee Neil Swarbrick, although Cherries goalkeeping coach Neil Moss and Terriers boss Clark clearly disagreed over the decision.

Afobe then went close with a header which was pushed away by Jalal, before Peltier opened the scoring after 26 minutes.

Peltier jumped highest to nod Roberts’s corner on to the post and beyond Jalal and Smith, who was guarding on the line. In truth, it was no more than the hosts deserved. Ian Bennett, the Terriers hero of the first leg at Dean Court, denied Donal McDermott from close range as Cherries battled for an equaliser, but Cherries always looked in danger from Roberts’s expert set-pieces.

Cherries, though, were granted a lifeline two minutes before half-time when Smith burst into the box and was felled by Peter Clarke. Referee Swarbrick pointed to the spot and Lovell blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.

The hosts had a golden to chance to regain their lead before the break, though, but Rhodes headed over when in acres of space.

They didn’t waste their second opportunity, however, when Ward lashed a venomous 25-yard drive past Jalal and into the corner of the net deep in first-half stoppage time.

Robinson slipped when pressuring Ward and the Yorkshireman gained a yard before unleashing an unstoppable left-foot effort.

It was a huge blow for the visitors and came with the final kick of the opening 45 minutes.

Robinson earned Cherries a free kick on the edge of the hosts’ box moments after the restart, but McDermott’s initial effort was blocked by the wall before Rhoys Wiggins blazed well over the bar from the rebound.

Clarke’s right-foot curler was deflected away for a corner five minutes into the second period and as the Terriers turned the screw, although Rhodes missed a sitter from inside the six-yard box on 56 minutes.

The Scot blasted over the bar after Kevin Kilbane had worked an opening for the home side.

Jalal saved well from Ward as the pressure continued, but Lovell, out of nowhere, again restored parity just after the hour.

Danny Hollands found Rhoys Wiggins on the left and the Welshman played in Lovell who rounded a defender and Bennett before finishing exquisitely with his left foot from the narrowest of angles.

It was very much game on.

Clark’s men, so pristine in possession prior to Lovell’s second, all of a sudden looked like they were feeling the pressure, making uncharacteristic errors when on the ball.

Afobe, though, could have given the Terriers the lead for a third time, but he, like Rhodes, fired over when well placed 15 minutes from time.

Hollands, at the other end, headed straight at Bennett with nine minutes left on the clock.

It was pulsating stuff, full of nervous energy yet with no shortage of skill.

Roberts, so often at the forefront of everything good about the hosts, curved a neat effort just wide two minutes from time, but that was the final chance of normal time.

Extra-time it was.

Jalal got down well to save Ward’s thunderbolt from distance as the Terriers started the first period of extra-time on the front foot, before Ings headed past Bennett two minutes before the end of the opening 15 minutes.

Substitute Symes found fellow sub Marc Pugh down the left and the Lancastrian’s pin-point cross was buried by Ings unchallenged.

The Terriers, though, were not done and Kay’s towering header in first period stoppage time again levelled the scores.

Symes forced Bennett into a save just after the restart, the clash ebbing and flowing at break-neck pace from end-to-end, before Pearce saw red for a two-footed tackle on Kilbane.

Clark’s men had a chance to win it in stoppage time at the end of the second period, but Ward’s shot from the edge of the box skidded just wide of the target.

And so to penalties.

Symes got Cherries off to the perfect start, before Lee Novak beat Jalal to make it 1-1.

Feeney, though, watched as his spot-kick was saved by Bennett down to his left, while Robinson’s flew off the crossbar after Ward had scored.

Kilbane then scored for the Terriers and Cooper kept Cherries’ now faint hopes alive.

But Kay had the final say, slamming his penalty past Jalal to break Cherries’ hearts.