Well done City

[Mothra]

Gutted I couldn't make it today, but heard it all on the Kerslake radio. Well done to everyone at the club, you have done us all very very proud. Black and White Army!!!! See you at the next home game, nothing to be ashamed of at all....

[martinos74]

This Trophy run has made me remember why I love being a Bath City supporter. Some great moments, a complete roller-coaster, but we just came up short. After watching City for 30 years, this is a cruel blow. We were within touching distance of the hallowed Wembley turf, but never got the chance to step on it.
This is what it means to be a City fan!
Take it, regroup, and remember why you love this great football club and come back year after year!
The players were a credit to the club and couldn't do any more to get us over the line.

City till I die!

[Matt_1376]

Just got home to Liverpool.

Very long day and I agree that City should be proud of themselves.

North Ferriby were a bit of a dirty side. One of their players got sent off and several others got yellow cards. I don't think any City players got yellow carded (but I could be wrong!).

They were expecting 2000 and the actual attendance was 1871; so why didn't they provide extra portaloo's and more catering facilities!? No one was allowed into the clubhouse 5 minutes before half time because it was already full. In fact I reckon the clubhouse was full for the whole game. How many of the Ferriby "supporters" in there actually wanted to watch the game? I didn't even want to use the clubhouse to get a pint. I just wanted to find a socket so I could plug in my phone to recharge it after the battery decided to die on me even though I hardly used the damn thing all day!

Excellent singing throughout the game from the Legion and other City supporters. The Ferriby "supporters" just about rustled up a few chants of "Come on you greens" (or something like that).

Anyway, glad I went - me and my mate saw John Prescott on the train on our way to Hull before the game. He got off the train at Hull (we think he actually got on at Ferriby) and I really wanted to say hello to him, but was scared that he'd turn around and give me a surprise left hook! ;-p

Oh, and thanks to pete mac for recommending the Whitelocks pub in Leeds where me and my mate stopped off for a pint on the way home. ;-)

[Ian Jones]

Got to laugh, those supporters who were in the clubhouse......like them City want more support week in week out, so talking about their fair weather support is interesting when nearly 1200 "fans" who wouldn't normally turn out were there last week, oh and good on them because just 10% of those returning would put an extra £40k on the bottom line.

[comrade powell]

While I think it's great that home fans support their club by using their clubhouse, I avoid them on away trips like the plague. Interesting that the Duke of Cumberland pub up the road was also very busy, but the staff did a great job in keeping down the queues for drinks, while the meal I ordered came quickly and was excellent! Myself and others made a very wise decision to get off the coach early...

[stillmanjunior]

North Ferriby were a bit of a dirty side. One of their players got sent off and several others got yellow cards. I don't think any City players got yellow carded (but I could be wrong!).

They were expecting 2000 and the actual attendance was 1871; so why didn't they provide extra portaloo's and more catering facilities!? No one was allowed into the clubhouse 5 minutes before half time because it was already full. In fact I reckon the clubhouse was full for the whole game. How many of the Ferriby "supporters" in there actually wanted to watch the game? I didn't even want to use the clubhouse to get a pint. I just wanted to find a socket so I could plug in my phone to recharge it after the battery decided to die on me even though I hardly used the damn thing all day!

Excellent singing throughout the game from the Legion and other City supporters. The Ferriby "supporters" just about rustled up a few chants of "Come on you greens" (or something like that).

I don't think even I would have been this petty had we lost to a side like Dover. If you thought North Ferriby were bad you should have had a day out there. Summed up by a NF fan tweeting Jason Mellor saying he genuinely thought he was the best keeper they'd come up against this season and he was unlucky. A Dover fan wrote a load of vile abuse.

I'm damn gutted and distraught that we didn't win but on the day we simply didn't play well enough. It was probably the first time I could say that about us in the FA Trophy since the Gloucester games, but North Ferriby were more streetwise. Were they dirty? A few late fouls, certainly not like Leeds United 1970s that people seem to be almost comparing them to. Horrific tackle on Gallinagh in the first leg aside I didn't think they were worse than teams like Eastleigh etc who used to roughen us up. And as others have mentioned, we haven't got the squad to deal with it. We've only got about 17 players available, we can't throw in three or four big blokes for different games. We haven't got the money. I thought North Ferriby played to their strengths. They are very well drilled, they have a superb winger in St Juste (best player in both games), a handful of a striker in Denton who also headed away a lot of our set-pieces and a reliable keeper despite his lack of mobility yesterday.

I didn't go in the clubhouse. The ground was tight and compact, of course it was going to be. They've spent most of their history at say Western League/lower Southern League level. They wouldn't have needed a huge ground. I'm glad I was pitchside because I don't enjoy watching games where you have difficulty obtaining a decent view. The stewards/officials/fans I came across were fine and I had no problem accessing the toilets after extra-time, only issue was trying to scale a fence to get out. So what if they're not regulars? We had 4000+ for a play-off final for goodness sake. They'll take a huge number to Wembley. For all those unsung heroes at their club I hope they have a terrific day because people like that deserve it. I don't see the point in taking some sort of one-upmanship on who sang the loudest. After the game one of the first things I saw was one of their fans run on the pitch and first thing he did was console Jason Mellor. He didn't need to do that, I thought it was a great gesture.

Horrible way to lose but it all felt so inevitable really. I think I would have felt worse had we played really well and lost like that. Over both games there was probably a penalty shoot-out between us as it was so close. In my opinion the game could be played on a one-off basis. We could have played them at somewhere like Birmingham, decide it on the day. That means we wouldn't miss two league games and the players/fans can have almost a warm-up for a final. Logistically, sadly, I doubt it'd ever work as it's too short notice.

On a final note, I'm immensely proud over how we've played in this run, banishing previous memories of appalling early exits. I'd mentioned in my column about what appearing in the final this year would have meant to me, but it wasn't to be. Hopefully we'll get there one year. The players, management (despite what one person claimed on the coach after...) and supporters have been magnificent. If we all club together and unite this run proved what is possible.

I'm looking forward to attending our remaining games not feeling on the verge of a panic attack.

[BenE]

I'm looking forward to attending our remaining games not feeling on the verge of a panic attack.

I was listening to it on a tablet in a hotel room in Windsor. My wife was prattling on during the pens and I think I 'might' have shouted a bit.

[comrade powell]

That was an excellent post, Junior. It was a horrible way to lose, but if you'd offered that as opposed to losing in that 1st game at Glos, I'm sure everyone would choose the trophy run we have had. Will be very difficult for the players (and fans?) to lift themselves for these 3 upcoming away games, but let's hope the season doesn't end in a whimper and we continue to see some of the excellent football which has been on show this year.

[stillmanjunior]

Quite honestly after we beat Gloucester I would have settled for a brave defeat at Rovers and taken the reasonable sum we would have received from the attendance.

I personally think we've left too much of a mountain to climb for the play-offs and it'll take some character to win tomorrow's game. Still, the excitement created from this trophy run will hopefully satisfy a decent amount of fans. Some will be permanently unhappy if we won every game 10-0 and climbed up the leagues, but that's the same everywhere.

[Jon_BOA]

Quite honestly after we beat Gloucester I would have settled for a brave defeat at Rovers and taken the reasonable sum we would have received from the attendance.

That was one of the things I used to cheer myself up in Hull on Saturday night, we were chatting about how pre-game with Rovers we were saying that as long as Rovers didn't destroy us we'd be happy. This a 3-0 defeat was even mentioned as acceptable!

What a fantastic trophy run that was, couldn't have been prouder at the end, some ridiculous moments that have made this season entertaining, which after Thurrock was unthinkable (I think Comrade at that point called the season "turgid", and he was right). Felt so bad for the players at the end, and the reactions of one or two as I shook their hand and tried to convey how well they had done, and how proud we were almost led to me crying on the pitch!

Hopefully the run has increased interest in the club, and that can only be a benefit.

[Roman Mike]

Where is all the decent video footage from Saturday? There were at least three camera crews on the roof of their clubhouse. All I have seen so far is the amateur rubbish from the Hull local rag. I'd like to see some of the key incidents again. I know it won't change anything but I need to know if it was a penalty when their keeper clattered Dan Ball and if it was handball on the line in the last few mins etc. etc.

[Dodgycarpet]

yes well done junior. personally I was thinking well done city - please get to wembley while I am in the country! nevermind just have to time it right next year.
When it got too tense I went for a walk round the ground (bit like cricket really) and found thier banter with Jason very good natured and funny where I was stood - especially with his slightly wayward kicks!
I also guessed they had practised and/or knew they were good at penalties when they started to time waste a bit. I also had a horrible feeling that maybe we hadn't....

[comrade powell]

According to their manager, they had not practised penalties in the days leading up to Saturday!

[Dodgycarpet]

they must have just had some very good, confident penalty takers.... which actually as a semi-pro I guess most should be!

[Marc Monitor]

I don't begrudge the real supporters of NFU (not least the hardcore that came down to TP) and many were saying "Have a safe trip" to us. They can't be blamed for their team's tactics and, were I in their position, I probably wouldn't care presently. As I said in another thread, it is just a shame that so many of the home 'supporters' didn't have the emotional investment in the win that the hardcore would have got.

I think that it is slightly different from our inflated crowd the Saturday before. I believe that ours were Bath residents who were supporters of other, probably Premiership, clubs rather than Bristol Rovers/City supporters there because their team were away (can't remember which of those was). It is the former that can and, increasingly, are being converted to Bath City supporters. I very much doubt whether any of the Hull City supporters are going to convert to NFU. To be fair, some of the many kids there may be more interested in going to see NFU.

Anyway, they had a good day and they will have a great day at Wembley so I don't suppose they give one.

[Sponsored content]