Davey's despair

Barnsley boss Simon Davey told his players they could hold their heads high after their hearts were broken at Wembley on Sunday.

The Tykes edged large periods of the game but could not apply the killer touch to finish off a number of good chances. The best of which fell to Kayode Odejayi who, having escaped the offside trap, fired wide with only Peter Enckleman to beat.

In stark contrast, Cardiff midfielder Joe Ledley provided the game's only real moment of class when he hooked in a sublime volley on nine minutes.

"I'm disappointed for the players," said the Barnsley boss.

"Not one of them shirked a challenge, not one of them didn't deserve credit for what they have achieved. It's a wondergoal that's done it and all credit to the goalscorer. Unfortunately he wasn't in a Barnsley shirt.

"We wanted to take a step further and get to the Cup Final. It wasn't to be but the players can hold their heads up high. They have done themselves credit. They are young and ambitious and I'm sure they will be back another day."

He also insisted that Odejayi would not shoulder any of the blame.

"I'm not going to blame Kay. We win as a team, we lose as a team."

There were tears from those in red shirts - Odejayi stood statuesque at the final whistle as he struggled to come to terms with his miss - and Davey admitted the dressing room was like a morgue.

"There is nothing much I can say to the players," he added. "They have not been battered out there, they have not been beaten by a better side. I felt we were the better side for long periods of that game and their keeper was the busier of the two. We just could not get that elusive goal that we needed.

"The fans have been fantastic - 34,000 came down - that's brilliant. They have had a great day but they have lost. It has been a fantastic trip for everyone. We have given them a day out at Wembley but we have lost and it hurts.

"We are sorry we can't make it an even happier day for them.

"It's a fantastic stadium, fantastic occasion. When you come out of the tunnel and see a full house it's brilliant. It raises your game, unfortunately it didn't raise ours enough."

Barnsley will now turn their attention to a relegation dogfight. Currently third bottom in the Championship, Davey's men are hovering over the trapdoor into League One as the season comes to a close.

"We have six cup finals left and that starts on Wednesday night at Watford," he said. "We have to make sure the players are ready and right for it and I'm sure they will be."