Under-18 Manager Pete Haynes insisted his young Robins should be proud of the club’s impressive FA Youth Cup run after bowing out to Bury in the third round.
Archie Brennan grabbed a second half goal at a wet and blustery LCI Rail Stadium as Bury edged to a 2-1 win.
Haynes was full of praise for his team for the manner in which they took the game to Bury and have tackled the cup competition this season.
The young Robins defeated AFC Totton 9-0 in the opening round before seeing off Welling United after extra-time to book a clash with Bury.
“It was a massively positive performance and we should be really proud of the lads and the squad that have put on a good display,” said Haynes.
“The game plan we wanted to adopt went well. We are out of the cup, but the players can be proud about how they represented themselves and how resilient they were.
“We created lots of opportunities and had lots of shots on goal and defended superbly, but sadly couldn’t convert it into a win.
“We dealt with the adversity of the first half, came out in the second half and created opportunities. Unfortunately, the end product wasn’t there.
“It’s disappointing to concede a set piece, but we can take a lot of pride and value that we were on top at that time and their goalkeeper has pulled off some good saves.
“The team will learn a lot from this cup run,” he added. “They have had the opportunity to play at the stadium in front of crowds, then board of directors and the first team manager.
“It’s a fantastic experience and learning opportunity for them. This is just the start and they have learnt all the way.
“It stands us in good stead now going into the semi-final of the league cup after Christmas and hopefully we can finish the season strongly in the league too.”