Gateshead FC boss Mike Williamson expressed his immense pride in his side despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to Halifax Town. The Heed were the better side for large parts of the game after a cagey first-half, but lacked a cutting edge when they needed it the most.
The Shaymen took the lead in bizarre circumstances, with Jamie Cooke's endeavour, charging down James Montgomery's clearance from a sloppy Louis Storey back pass, to open the scoring on the brink of half-time. The Halifax frontman knew very little about the goal, but his effort and desire was the difference.
The Heed boss pointed no fingers at his two more experienced professionals, with his pride for his players coming to the fore. Williamson told Chronicle Live: "It's as far on the immensely proud side scale as you can possibly get. We gave everything out there today.
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"Obviously the first half was a tense affair, it was cagey, it was a typical final. When they scored, I said to Ian Watson, hopefully it'll take the shackles off us a bit which I thought it did and our second half was really positive, the boys threw everything at it.
"We know how good Halifax are and they deserve a lot of credit, but we gave everything. The boys, what they've given to the club and the community, they should be immensely proud. It's been a hugely positive experience."
When asked what he said at half-time after conceding the goal just moments before, Williamson said: "I didn't have to say anything. They're such professionals and strong-minded, it's irrelevant and it's gone.
"A full game is littered with mistakes all over the field, some get punished and some don't. We've all been there. One thing we know about those two is that they've got an unbelievably strong mentality and they'll pick other boys up when they're hurting, that's one of the best traits you can have."
It's well documented the Heed were down to the bare bones heading into the final, but the Gateshead boss made no excuses for his team's performance, praising the lads at his disposal for getting to this stage.
"If this was a league game, you'd dissect it and there's many reasons and elements but I'll leave that to you guys and the fans," Williamson said. "Whoever it is, for me, we had this group of lads and I couldn't be prouder than what they gave us.
"They got us here and they deserve all the credit for that, in such a difficult period of the season. I genuinely from the bottom of my heart, there's no disappointment.
"For the families and the fans it would have been nice, but for that group of lads, what they've achieved this season should be their own merit."
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