Gutted

[philsky]

Got home at 2.30am and feel for the team; they've poured everything into the last few weeks and have taken us on an amazing ride. Grant and Cliff have done a remarkable job.

When we were 20th and I was shuffling away from Sutton I'd half expected a finish of 17th / 18th but actually I have the memories of Barrow and Gillingham and they will stay with me.

So fn close.

Chatting to Andy in the car on the way home we felt that the back four, the heart of the midfield and much of the attack will remain in place - the spine of the team in many respects.

Feels like Moly will leave, probably not get Haks, Craig back to Spurs and TLT onto bigger things.

Surely we'll be up and around the auto spots next season.

[Michael Shaw]

Taking a positive from this season, at least few fans will expect us to be in the bottom half of the table next season.
We should be around the top 7 all next season if we can keep it going. Trust in McCann.

[Silkscarf]

Sick feeling in our stomachs today and I really feel for Grant, Cliff and the players. The incredible Wembley dream finally died and we’re grieving. In the end we just fell short. Football is about these fine margins.

We’ve learnt more about how to win. How to build confidence, play like a team and put runs of wins and draws together. Like when teams win the Champions League they usually have a near miss or two first. We only started doing this 3 months ago. Imagine if we do it over a whole season.

But we’ve really got our club back now and the base of a promotion squad. Hopefully many more fans for next season too.

Whatever will be will be. We’re going to Bromerlee.

[NickDRFC]

Define “the heart of midfield and much of the attack”. Odds are we’ll be starting pre-season with only 2 or 3 of the front 6.

[philsky]

Define “the heart of midfield and much of the attack”. Odds are we’ll be starting pre-season with only 2 or 3 of the front 6.

Midfield - we've got Bailey, Westbrook, Broadbent, Close and Hurst

Attack - Miller, Ironside and Biamou - with Goodman learning his trade

Defence - Sterry, Olowu, Anderson, Wood, Senior and Maxwell

Overall and with a couple of additions that's not bad imo

[Padge_DRFC]

Define “the heart of midfield and much of the attack”. Odds are we’ll be starting pre-season with only 2 or 3 of the front 6.

Midfield - we've got Bailey, Westbrook, Broadbent, Close and Hurst

Attack - Miller, Ironside and Biamou - with Goodman learning his trade

Defence - Sterry, Olowu, Anderson, Wood, Senior and Maxwell

Overall and with a couple of additions that's not bad imo

The thing is that squad named there needs 4 top players. The 4 likely leaving make that squad look ordinary. Look at pre Feb without them.

[Frankie Rennie]

Gutted, is how I also feel for you guys, robbed at the death but to give Crewe credit they did exactly what they intended, quickly got the deficit back and then defended brilliantly. You didn’t get much off the officials but other than the high kick in the box which would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch, I don’t think it made that much difference. Not an excuse but the ball didn’t run for you today, a couple just wide of the post and the penalty hitting the post whilst there’s went the right side for their goal. So not to be but it should stand you in good stead for next year so chins up and look forward to going one step further then.

[TonySoprano]

Got home at 2.30am and feel for the team; they've poured everything into the last few weeks and have taken us on an amazing ride. Grant and Cliff have done a remarkable job.

When we were 20th and I was shuffling away from Sutton I'd half expected a finish of 17th / 18th but actually I have the memories of Barrow and Gillingham and they will stay with me.

So fn close.

Chatting to Andy in the car on the way home we felt that the back four, the heart of the midfield and much of the attack will remain in place - the spine of the team in many respects.

Feels like Moly will leave, probably not get Haks, Craig back to Spurs and TLT onto bigger things.

Surely we'll be up and around the auto spots next season.

We'll not just end up in the auto spots, we'll dominate them.
10 points clear of 4th by Christmas, Mark my words.

[danumdon]

Absolutely gutted for the team, coaching staff and TB, but mainly for us the fans.

The where's and whyfor's about the match are now history, we had an absolutely tremendous shot at it over the last 3 months and have just come up short.

What i really want to point out was that this game was a fantastic example of what we can have if we can align all the variables. The atmosphere leading up to the kick off was the best i've ever witnessed at this stadium. Ive been to games at premier league clubs with a crowd over four times the size of this turnout and it was nothing like this. It was a special night and the prospective fanbase turned up and made it what it was.

This should tell the team, the coaching staff, TB, uncle Tom Cobley and all that the potential is there, if we can get the finances right with a manager like GM we can get to where we want to be and a situation like last night can become the norm.

Our potential is massive, we have a fanbase screaming out for this kind of situation to become the norm, its there for the taking.

I hope when GM sits down with the board pre season and review our plan going forward, i hope they remember this moment, if we can build on this and kick on the future is very much ours.

We lost a battle last night but out of all four teams in the playoffs, we have by far the greatest potential and we can go on and win the war.

Its these for the taking, we just need good men to realise that potential.

I personally want to thank them all for the fantastic efforts they have made over the last quarter of this season, loved it and can now look forward to next season with great optimism about where we can take it.

We know what we need to do , have the right people here to help us and if we play our part again the future is there for the taking.

[Crowle Rover]

In the 36 years I've been supporting Rovers this is the worst I've ever felt after a defeat.
I'm not one who usually dwells on a result too long and there have been other times when we've just fallen short (Arsenal League Cup 2005 and Charlton play-offs 2019 spring to mind) which by the time I'd got back to the car I'd shrug my shoulders and move on.
But last night was different.
At the end of the shoot out I was totally deflated.
I know there are more important things in the world and at the end of the day we only lost a game of football but it still hurts.
The positives are Grant has got a squad together that with a few more acquisitions will be a match for any team in this division next season.
And what a great ride we've had in these last 3 months.
From relegation candidates to one kick away from a Wembley appearance.
I can't wait for the new season to start!
Rovers Til I Die!

[andy didcott]

After the Arsenal game at belle vue was as bad as this, can’t think of any other.

[Campsall rover]

Stockport lost in the play offs last season.
They won the league this season. 
I am saying no more.

[GazLaz]

After the Arsenal game at belle vue was as bad as this, can’t think of any other.

I felt shocking after that game. Eboue ran down the wing about 5 yards away from me. I should have run on and dragged him down. Felt culpable.

[TonySoprano]

Arsenal felt really bad, but last night feels just that bit more raw.
It feels like a dream, and boom we woke up right at the good bit.

I was dreaming about going to wembley, with friends and family, some that weren't around last time, and thinking of some that came last time but are no longer with us.

Feels rough that key players will be leaving for pastures new aswell, we're not continuing the ride with them which is gutting, the fan base and the players have been as close as I can ever remember.

Gonna take a while for the dust to settle for me.

[LincsRover]

Yep, I’ve been a reyt mardy tw*t all day and will probably continue into tomorrow but at some point before Monday I will be able to put everything into context (I hope!). We so nearly achieved the impossible but fell at the penultimate obstacle. We go again next season. Supporting rovers is never dull!!