Declan Dunn felt Notts County Reserves were unlucky to come away from their Central League Cup final with a 2-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth.
The Magpies put in a spirited display against their Premier League opponents but were beaten courtesy of Tyrell Hamilton’s strikes either side of half-time at Meadow Lane.
Notts had chances to claw their way back into the tie but couldn’t find a route to goal, something Dunn feels was unfortunate given the account they gave of themselves
“We all put in a good shift and feel unlucky to come away with that result,” said the skipper.
“Their goals were a bit scrappy and weren’t the best to concede but, at the end of the day, we put our all in against a Premier League team, which is all that matters.
“Their goalkeeper [Mark Travers] did very well but we could have put a few things past him and if we’d got that one goal, I feel we’d have got another.
“After being quite sloppy in the first half, we made a better go of things in the second – we were neater in possession and had a lot more joy in the final third.
“We never stopped pushing throughout the whole game and it’s been a good experience at Meadow Lane against a team who are at a different level to us.”
Coach Steve Chettle echoed Dunn’s sentiments, feeling his side did exactly what he called for in his half-time team talk.
“I asked them to have a go and we huffed and puffed but just fell a little bit short,” he said.
“I felt we had to do something a little different – push more people forwards, be braver in possession, work a little bit harder and win the ball back high up the pitch.
“I was pleased to get the reaction I asked for and we turned the ball over in their third but just couldn’t get that goal we needed.
“We were up against a side that we knew would have a lot of possession and are technically better than us but we had a few chances and just fell short.”