LEE Hooper admits Malvern Town must accept their play-off final defeat against local rivals Evesham United.
The Hillsiders saw their season end in heartbreak following a 1-0 defeat against the Robins in the Southern League Division One South play-off final at the Spiers and Hartwell Stadium.
The game’s only goal came on 63 minutes as Levi Steele saw his header loop into the net with Malvern unable to find an equaliser.
Malvern embarked on a remarkable 19-game unbeaten run to reach the play-off final with the club down in 15th place in early January.
And Hillsiders co-manager Hooper insists Malvern are determined to go one better next season and achieve a first-ever promotion to Step Three.
Hooper said: “We were one game away from Step Three which is absolutely incredible.
“Hopefully, we go one better next year and get promotion.
“We’ve just got to regroup, take it on the chin, that’s football and we go again next season.
“It’s been absolutely brilliant, every lad in that changing room has given us everything to get us to this point.
“If we lost any one of those 20 games that led up to this game – we’re not in the play-offs.
“They’ve had to go over so many hurdles and just fell at the last.
“The players are gutted because they know how far we’ve come as a group, a team and as a club.
“It’s the first time we haven’t scored in 25 games, on another day we probably score three or four but at the important time we just haven’t been able to put the ball in the net.
“If we get one, we probably go on and win but they held on, we’ve got to accept it.”
Malvern spurned a glorious chance to take the lead when Sam Clark and Jack Watts exchanged passes in the box before the latter squared the ball to Harry Clark.
However, Evesham goalkeeper Alex Harris made a crucial save with his foot to keep the scores level.
The home side went close at the other end as Andre Wright released Steele only for Ryan Smallwood to save the striker’s effort with his feet.
And Evesham threatened again soon after when Harris sent a long kick up the pitch only for Dion Molyneux to put enough pressure on Steele as the ball ran through to Smallwood.
Smallwood made another save later in the half as he comfortably claimed Wright’s looping header.
Malvern felt they should have had a penalty early in the second half when Joe Tumelty went to ground in the box under a challenge from Will Owens.
However, the referee quickly waved away Malvern’s protests.
The Hilsiders almost took the lead soon after as Harris made a fine reaction save low down to his left to keep out Joe Bullock’s header following a long throw from the right.
Malvern were screaming for another penalty moments later with the Hillsiders claiming a header from a corner struck the arm of an Evesham player in the box with the referee again unmoved.
However, Evesham broke the deadlock on 63 minutes when Owens delivered a cross from the left and Steele’s deflected header from eight-yards out looped over Smallwood.
The back-tracking Malvern goalkeeper could only push the ball into the roof of the net as Steele wheeled away in celebration.
Malvern searched for an equaliser as Tumelty curled a free-kick over the crossbar from 25-yards out.
And Charlie Johnson then delivered a dangerous ball into the box from the left which substitute Ryan Brunt headed narrowly over the crossbar.
A long throw from the right then caused a scrambled in the box before the Robins eventually cleared their lines.
More long throws came into the Evesham box as a near-post header landed on the roof of the net.
However, Malvern could not find a way through a resolute Evesham side as Town’s season ended in play-off final heartbreak.
