Scenes of jubilation from the Coventry players contrasted with despair from Bristol City's who were scattered lying on the pitch looking forlorn at the full-time whistle.
To come so far in a season only to lose out on a trophy with a terribly lucky, or unlucky, deflected effort after clawing their way back into the contest was nothing short of cruel.
The young City players received standing ovations from those 2,000-odd fans who had made the effort to give them one final push - with scenes of shoes in the air at one point - but it just wasn't meant to be.
What must have been going through the player's minds when they stood 20-feet away watching Coventry lifting the trophy knowing it could and probably should, have been them celebrating last night.
For most of these players, it would have been their first real taste of disappointment and as Brian Tinnion pointed out at the full-time whistle, football is full of ups and downs during a career. That is 551 appearances for Bristol City talking.
It will be a learning curve and an experience that will help them in good stead in the future. Here's the talking points from City's 3-2 final defeat to Coventry.
The Sam Bell & Tommy Conway partnership
Academy director Tinnion spoke last week on 3 Peaps in a Podcast about how influential the strike duo can be for Bristol City's first-team in the next three years. He is backing them to be leading the line in the senior side in the future when they have both fully developed to the rigours and relentlessness of Championship football.
Tonight was another opportunity to see what the future holds in City's attack. Conway started out in the middle with Bell out to his right and Owura Edwards taking up the role on the left.
In truth, Bell struggled in the first 45 minutes to really get into the game but it didn't prevent the pair from showing the understanding they have generated together from the U13s and throughout the youth teams. Conway would drop deep to receive the ball and almost instinctively look towards his partner looking to make that darting run from the right.
Coventry had it sussed in that opening spell, although were almost breached when Ryley Towler won the ball high up the field. Conway fed in Bell through on goal but he took a second too long to pull the trigger, leaving the defender to get across in the nick of time.
Another moment saw Conway get himself to the byline before pulling it back, expecting Bell to be on the end of it, only his partner was on a different wavelength this time leaving Conway exasperated as they attempted to come back from two early goals.
Olly Thomas' introduction late in the second half on the right saw Conway dropping behind Bell - not too dissimilar to Andi Weimann's role. It sparked the pair into life, particularly Bell who gradually improved as the game went on. One moment proved Tinnion's point.
A ball forward went looking for Bell's feet only to dummy it through his legs, having the awareness that Conway was behind him. Bell span off the ball and received the back pass from Conway before firing his strike over the bar. At the end of the game, Tinnion described some moments of their play as "magic."
Watching them last night, it's no surprise to see them among the first-team reckoning towards the end of last season, even if they were playing in unfamiliar positions. Bell the victim of that with numerous difficult stints in a wing-back role.
They will have big boots to fill considering how high the bar has been set with the current trio of forwards. Bell managed 243 minutes of Championship action last season compared to Conway's 25 but if anything, it is probably the latter who is more 'first-team ready' at this stage. His leadership on the field is another strength.
His terrific equaliser was a moment of class, picking up the ball around 20-yards from goal, moving it to the right of the area and drilling it across the keeper into the far corner.
An assist away at Bournemouth in a 10-minute cameo showed that he has it in his locker to produce his moments against the high rollers of the division but as Tinnion pointed out last week, they'll have discussions over the summer as to how they will approach their development heading into next season and loan moves could be likely.
Tommy Backwell's cameo
Tommy Backwell was one of the six academy players to be handed new contracts earlier this month - the central midfielder awarded a one-year extension.
He joined City at the age of 15 having been part of the notoriously good Southampton academy. Underdeveloped, City have had to be patient with his development but judging by his cameo following his introduction, it won't be long before patience starts to pay off.
Backwell came on to the field in the 58th minute, replacing left-back Callum Wood who was forced off injured with Josh Owers filling in at the back. He made an instant contribution, picking up a loose ball in the centre and feeding it directly into the feet of Conway.
The striker did the rest, finding the bottom corner of the net but it was the desire by Backwell to get the ball forward at every opportunity that made his side tick in the last 30 minutes.
Technically sound, he showed one moment of real quality when he picked out a superb defence-splitting pass into Bell's path who couldn't take advantage when his strike was deflected out for a corner.
He's not afraid to stick in a foot, showing tenacity to win the ball back and spark an attack. He hasn't had ample opportunities to stake his claim in the U23s yet, but next season will be important for him in determining where his development lies.
Backwell is expected to play a big contribution following pre-season having signed his deal until the summer of 2023. He has already trained with the first-team and "didn't look out of place".
Judging on last night's performance, although a brief role, he has it in him to change a game and notch up the assists and it seems he'll get a regular opportunity with the U23s next season.
Owura Edwards - what next?
The first 45 minutes was the tale of two left-wingers - Coventry's Will Bapaga causing trouble down his side while Edwards was not willing to be outshone on the opposite side.
He had their left-back in his back pocket for large periods beating him for pace and trickery. His opponent Evan Aisowieren was playing to his strengths, giving him time and space to get to the byline.
Edwards gratefully received the invitation and was the most likely to make something happen as City looked to claw their way back into the contest. Only it was his final ball that was the biggest frustration.
Three times inside the first 25 minutes, Edwards would get behind his defender and create an opportunity only to see the final ball lacking any conviction.
The first one saw him come out on top of a 50-50 in Coventry's half and spark a three-on-three scenario. He almost seemed to get caught in two minds about whether to pay it centrally to Conway or pick out Bell who was in acres of space on the right side of the box.
In the end, his pass was behind Conway but lacked the pace to find Bell's feet as the defender came across to cut out the attack. On the two other occasions, he was let down by his crossing.
However, if there was one player who would spark City into life it was Edwards and he fired home Zac Bell's terrific cross from close range, showing anticipation and desire to win the ball in front of his man.
Edwards had two loan spells last season first with Exeter where he struggled for game time and then Colchester where he made more of an impact, scoring three times and assisting one in nine League Two starts.
A knee injury picked up against Bristol Rovers in the middle of March practically forced him to miss the rest of the season, albeit an eight-minute cameo five weeks later before returning to City.
His potential is undeniable, his goal in the play-off semi-final when he found the top corner from 20-yards was a standout example of that, but he could have much more of an impact if Edwards can find some consistency with his final ball. For some players that comes with age and experience, for others, it will burden their careers.
He faded in the second half and at the age of 21, Edwards will head into the final year of his contract at the beginning of next season with his future looking relatively uncertain and a big decision over where his development best lies going forward.
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