Club legend and academy director Brian Tinnion has told Bristol City's young crop of players to hold their heads high and look forward to first-team football next season after cruelly missing out on silverware.
The Under-23s sunk to their knees at the full-time whistle as Coventry's players celebrated their dramatic 3-2 victory on the pitch before lifting the Professional Development league trophy in front of the watching City players.
Coventry stunned City in the early stages, scoring two quickfire goals in the opening 10 minutes to put the hosts on the back foot in front of a watching 2,000 supporters inside Ashton Gate.
Owura Edwards halved the deficit before half-time when he fired in from close range before Tommy Conway completed the comeback in the second half when he brilliantly scored on the angle.
From then, it only looked like one team was going to win as City piled forwards before a shot by Jay McGrath hit his own team-mate in George Burroughs before trickling into the side corner of the net with 15 minutes to play.
"Football's a cruel game but you have to deal with the ups and downs in this game and it's not always a smooth passage," Tinnion said.
"We could have gone under because we know they are a dangerous counter-attacking team but we fought and we came back and when we went to 2-2 there was only going to be one winner.
"We were on the front foot, had them boxed it, had stuff ricocheting around the box but it never quite happened for us. Football's cruel and it happens but they'll have worse knocks in their careers if they have good careers but we're pleased for them.
"We've just told them in the dressing room we love them to bits and we'll be back for pre-season to work them and get them the best opportunities we can."
Despite the disappointment, Tinnion was eager to point out that moments and experiences like the ones his players suffered today will only stand them in good stead when they're playing first-team football - something he plans on arranging next season whether for Bristol City or another club.
"They'll be disappointed but they're all contracted here and we're looking forward to some really bright futures out of some of those players today. Marley Rose was 17 years of age, he's a player.
"Tommy (Conway) and Sam Bell showed their magic of playing together, Olly Thomas was 17, Towler was outstanding and I could pick a lot more. We're disappointed of course we are because we came this far and we wanted to win it but we know there's a real bright future for those in the dressing room.
"We don't set out to win this league, we set out to develop players. We've played every first-year scholar in the 23s which is 16s and 17s this year - every second-year scholar has played in this team.
"There's times where we've been really young and still won games so that's a bright future for the football club.
"That's what we said to them, get over the disappointment, come back and I think a lot of those are going to play first-team football - if not here then somewhere next season so let's look forward and plan for them."
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