Hull City manager Steve Bruce was left disappointed but brimming with pride after his side lost out to Arsenal in a thrilling FA Cup Final.
The underdogs had raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening seven minutes, but they were pegged back and eventually beaten, in extra-time, courtesy of an Aaron Ramsey strike.
Bruce and his players were exhausted after the 120 minutes and headed off the Wembley turf thinking about what might have been.
Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (AET)
The FA Cup with Budweiser
The Final
Saturday 17 May 2014
Wembley connected by EE
"In terms of effort, endeavour and determination you couldn't fault them to a man. Proud? Of course I am. They were magnificent,” Bruce said.
"I didn't think the first one was a free-kick and the second goal was a goal-kick not a corner. But it's not the time now to whinge.
"We are totally disappointed because it could have been one of those memorable FA Cup wins where the underdog goes and wins it.
"On another day we could have won it but in the end we didn't have enough."
Meanwhile. Hull skipper Curtis Davies was devastated as his side squandered their two-goal lead and saw The Cup slip from their grasp.
The centre-back was desperate to lift the trophy for the club and their supporters and it looked like they would after he added to James Chester's opener to help the Tigers go two up.
Curtis Davies slots Hull into a two-goal lead
However, goals from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey won the match to end a nine-year trophy drought for Arsene Wenger's men.
A heart-broken Davies said: “When they got tired they still had the quality.
"We gave everything but we are left feeling flat. It was a hard game to throw away from 2-0 up but that's what we did."
Bruce had been rightly heaped with praise this season after keeping the club in the Premier league and reaching the first FA Cup final in the club's history.
But honest Davies admits he would rather have a medal round his neck that compliments ringing in his ears.
“I'd sooner have no plaudits and win, than have the plaudits and not be getting a medal,” he said.
