Blyth Spartans boss Tom Wade has expressed his pride at his side despite their exit in the third round of the FA Cup to Birmingham City.
A brace from Robbie Dale in the first half had given the Northern Premier League side hope that they could spring an upset on Gary Rowett's men at Croft Park.
However, the Blues rallied in the second half as a strike from Lee Novak and a brace from Wes Thomas spared their blushes to guide them into the fourth round of the competition.
Wade told BBC Sport: "I am exceptionally proud of the lads. We played some good stuff on a boggy pitch and we were very close to winning the game. It's a proud day for everybody. We knew we would give them a good game and we did that. It's a great compliment to the players.
"We didn't plan to be 2-0 up a half-time and we knew that we had to not concede in the first 10 minutes of the second half but we couldn't do that.
"Fitness was the difference in the end. They were stronger than us and that told in the second half. But we have worked so hard to get to where we are, we have matched a Championship side for a lot of today's game. We just hope that we can get more fans through the gates now."
The Spartans are currently 18th in the Northern Premier League after playing 20 games in their season.
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