TEN minutes. That was all it took to turn Bournemouth Poppies’ FA Vase dream into a nightmare.

What had been a great adventure will never reach its desired destination after this dramatic conclusion.

When the dust has settled and Poppies reflect on their journey, they will be able to take pride. Pride in the fact they punched above their weight to reach the last eight of this prestigious national competition – despite a budget understood to be far inferior to many of their counterparts.

But at 4.45pm on Saturday, that seemed a long way off. As the players in red sunk to the turf following a cruel, late twist, there was major disappointment around Victoria Park.

There was also the sense that the Winton-based club had missed a huge chance to make its mark.

Whether Poppies will get an opportunity like this again remains to be seen. But there can be little doubt that this tie was there for the taking after the hosts had made the Vase favourites look ordinary for long periods.

Poppies’ odds-defying run to the quarter-finals had been packed with drama at every turn. Entering the closing stages of this latest encounter, there seemed destined to be more of the same.

But, in the end, there was no fairytale finale for Ken Vaughan’s underdogs. Not this time.

Vaughan was in no doubt as to where it had gone wrong. With disappointment etched across his face, he said: “If Fawzi Saadi hadn’t been sent off, I think we could have done something with it, I really do.”

Having contained their visitors from the north east for almost an hour, Vaughan made his play for victory by introducing Saadi from the bench in the 58th minute.

Saadi had been tasked with providing an encore following his match-winning heroics in the previous round.

But his appearance proved short-lived. Attempting to take a quick free-kick following a foul from Steven Brown, Saadi shoved Brown, who went to ground clutching his face, as the West man stood in his way.

Saadi disputed the decision but Vaughan had no complaints with the referee.

And with Saadi’s dismissal, the hosts immediately lurched from a tempting outside bet to massive outsiders.

Within eight minutes, the numerical advantage had told. Poppies paid the ultimate price.

The Northern League big guns, who had failed to live up to their pre-match billing for much of a close contest, found a way past the previously unbeatable Max Frampton with a goal from Michael Rae.

If there remained a glimmer of hope, it was extinguished completely when Mattie Moffat hit a second.

But although Frampton had been by far the busier of the two keepers, few spectators would have headed home thinking they had seen Vase champions in waiting on this evidence.

“I don’t think we gave a good account of ourselves,” admitted visiting manager Peter Dixon.

“There were a few harsh words at half-time because we weren’t happy with our level of performance at all.”

It was no wonder the tea cups were flying at the interval – as West’s mammoth trek from the north east looked to have taken its toll.

Despite not creating many clear opportunities, Poppies were in the ascendancy during the opening exchanges.

Scott Joyce headed on to the roof of the net before Sean Hogan had a shot blocked.

West fired their first warning shot when Rae forced Frampton to save at his near post, with captain Moffat later denied by a heroic Hogan block, which epitomised the Poppies spirit.

Fitting with tradition, cup shocks usually have a hero between the sticks and Frampton warmed to the task by first parrying a Stuart Banks volley before brilliantly denying Martin Young as West upped the ante after the break.

As time wore on, the belief that Poppies could once again deliver one in the eye to the bookmakers steadily began to build.

Lawnmower man Jon Blake, who covered every blade of grass in the midfield engine room, smashed a left-footed volley narrowly over before Joyce scuffed wide with another rare Poppies opportunity.

West were enjoying the majority of possession but appeared to have run out of ideas, with the game heading for extra-time.

But then came the 10 minutes that would ultimately leave the Bournemouth dream in tatters.

As former Cherries trainee Saadi headed for an early shower, Poppies’ uphill task became mountainous.

As the clock ticked past 90 minutes, Frampton kept out Rae’s initial effort but was powerless to prevent the striker from converting a close-range rebound to spark scenes of jubilation among the travelling fans.

Poppies’ hopes ended when Moffat, who had barely been given an inch by a backline led superbly by Wayne Crutcher, smashed home a deflected drive.

West Auckland’s claim to fame is twice being crowned ‘world champions’ after triumphing in fairytale fashion in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909 and 1911.

More than 100 years later, Poppies’ own place in the record books will have to wait.