TAMWORTH boss Andy Peaks said football was ‘a cruel game’ after losing to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.
The League One side won 1-0 after Kennedy Digie’s second half own goal.
But Peaks felt his National League team had done enough to force extra-time.
Tamworth thought they had taken the lead after just 40 seconds when Manny Duku tucked the ball home after Tom Tonks had disguised a long throw before going short – but the Lambs’ joy was cut short once they saw the flag had been raised.
Peaks’ side were the more threatening in the first half and after a corner was only partially dealt with, Beck-Ray Enoru hit a shot from distance which was saved by visiting keeper Killian Cahill, who celebrated his 22nd birthday with a clean sheet.
The best chance of the first half came in additional time when Stefan Mols rose highest and his header looked destined for the top corner but Cahill clawed the ball out of his goal and away from danger.
With 11 minutes remaining, Orient made the breakthrough when substitute Sonny Perkins’ deft cross was flicked into the far corner of his goal by Digie – who had until then been a rock at the back for the home side.
Peaks told TNT Sports: “I was pleased overall, the effort was there. I can’t fault the commitment, we just lacked a little bit of quality, as did they I felt.
“I feel a little bit harshly done by, but football’s like that and we’ve obviously we’ve come out on the wrong side.
“We know that we can mix it with full-time and league sides, it’s just we have to do that week in, week out to be competitive.
“The disappointing thing for me is that we haven’t got anything out of the game. It was so close. We needed something to drop for us, a decision to go for us and it never happened.
“They scored with a deflected our goal, and Jaz Singh in goal didn’t really have to make a save. But I think we can go away and hold our heads high.
“I was proud of what the lads did. There were a lot of people there on Monday, and I think a lot of people realised what we’re trying to do here.
“It’s raw at the moment for me because we’re disappointed. But football’s a cruel game. It hurts at the moment.
“But I’m sure we’ll look at the bigger picture and we’ll see we did ourselves justice.
“That doesn’t actually help much because we’re not in the FA Cup now, which is wounding.”
• Additional reporting, BBC Sport
