Ben Whiting says he is “ frustrated and hurting” after his dreams of a Wembley appearance were dashed.
The former St Day goalkeeper endured a torrid afternoon as his Loughborough Students team were thumped 4-0 by Littlehampton Town in the FA Vase semi-final
They went behind inside the first minute and things went from bad to worse on the Sussex coast in front of a bumper 3,200 crowd
Whiting, 19, said: “Overall I think as a collective we’ll be disappointed with how the day went, it was obviously a great occasion for us as players.
“Littlehampton brought a great crowd which, given how the game eventually went, definitely helped them through. I wish them well at Wembley.
“I think the overriding frustration was the manner of the goals we conceded on the day.
“From not conceding a goal in the last three rounds and only four all tournament, to give away goals from set pieces and second balls was tough to take.”
The Students had gone into the match on a high after a a long unbeaten run in the United Counties League and winning the British Universities and Colleges Sport national championship (BUCS).
Whiting added: “When the dust settles and we can properly look back, we’ll be able to view the season as a major success.
“ BUCS champions and being one step away from Wembley is undoubtedly an incredible achievement.
“However it does hurt that on the day we didn’t come close to performing in the ways we had to reach that stage.”
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