BRENDAN Kelly declared it was a “proud” day for Bromsgrove Sporting despite the Rouslers suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to Grimsby Town at the Victoria Ground.
Sporting were well-beaten by the National League leaders with Seb Revan netting twice alongside strikes from David Longe-King, Lenell John-Lewis and Will Bapaga.
The defeat brought an end to Bromsgrove’s run in the FA Cup that saw them reach the fourth qualifying round for the first time in their history.
And the town responded to Sporting’s cup adventure by selling out the Victoria Ground with boss Kelly delighted by the enthusiasm of the home supporters.
Kelly said: “It’s a proud day for us and the club – it’s a special day.
“It’s a great day for the club and a great occasion – the result didn’t go our way.
“To see so many people packed in – a full house – it’s massive for us, hopefully we can have many more days like this.
“This is a big day in our short history and it gives us a taste of what we want – we want to be involved in those big games.”
However, Kelly felt his side could have performed better despite playing two divisions lower than the Mariners who are currently top of the National League.
He added: “My standards are really high, there were a lot of elements of the game that I was disappointed with.
“The goals we conceded were avoidable even the physical side of it and the work rate – we didn’t really lay a glove on them.
“There was a massive gulf in class but there was also a massive gulf in desire and attitude – I thought we might have that in abundance.
“I feel a little bit frustrated, we could have given a better account of ourselves but we were never expected to win.”
Bromsgrove return to league action against Rushall Olympic on Tuesday, October 19.
