Dunmurry Rec manager Dan Thorton voiced his pride at his players' performance in Saturday's Steel and Sons Cup final.
The Amateur League underdogs came up just short against Bangor in the showpiece decider at Seaview.
They threatened a shock when Andrew Carberry slotted home the opening goal three minutes after the restart.
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But goals from Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale saw Bangor come from behind to earn the win in North Belfast.
Thornton said: "I have to be proud of my players, and supporters. They were all unbelievable.
"To push a team like Bangor the way we did takes some doing. You can't have any regrets and we gave it everything today.
"Of course, we are bitterly disappointed and this will take some time to get over. But we came into today as massive underdogs. Our players pay £20 a month, and they are able to bring Ben Arthurs off the bench.
"That's the difference in levels. We frustrated them for large parts, and maybe our goal came a little bit too early.
"If we had held out for a bit longer after they scored then things could have been different. But the only words to describe it is I am extremely proud of the players.
"Our team is hard to beat, and we proved that in this competition. And today was going to plan.
"When you play a team like Bangor who have the quality they have, it is always going to be difficult. We just have to take it on the chin."
Thornton hopes Dunmurry Rec can take confidence from their stellar Steel and Sons Cup run when they return to Amateur League action next.
And he believes his players have the character to bounce back from Saturday's devastating defeat at Seaview.
"Hopefully based on these performances in the cup, people will recognise Dunmurry Rec is a club going places," he added.
"We are only a few months into a five-year plan and we have narrowly lost 2-1 to Bangor in the Steel and Sons Cup final. So we are doing something right.
"The lads have to take motivation from this. When we came in as a management team in the summer the whole place was down in the dumps.
"We have lifted the club a level or two, and it is all about the players. They are really good lads and have character. They are buying into what we want to do.
"And their performances in the Steel and Sons have been remarkable.
"We now have to refocus on the league again, and we will look forward to that."
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