Harris ‘gutted’ after missing out, but says he’s proud of players
CARDIFF City manager Neil Harris has admitted he is “gutted” with missing out on the Championship play-off final, but couldn’t be prouder of his players.
The Bluebirds agonisingly missed out on progressing to the play-off final by one goal following a 2-1 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage, concluding the two legs at 3-2 on aggregate to Scott Parker’s side.
They headed into the Thursday night clash knowing they had a hefty two-goal deficit to turn around, but gave their all in the 90 minutes which followed.
Goals from Curtis Nelson and Lee Tomlin weren’t enough to keep them in the race, with Neeskens Kebano proving the difference in preventing the clash from going to extra time.
Harris admitted he is disappointed with the final set of results, but is acutely aware of the pride his players should be feeling given their play-off push postlockdown.
“Firstly, I’m disappointed we haven’t got through, I’ve got to be honest”, he told a post-match press conference.
“Let’s get the disappointment out of the way.
“I had the belief still coming here that we could go on and get through, most people didn’t, I did because I know the capabilities of the group.
“I felt even at the end we had chances.
“I knew there’d be a big chance left in it and Bobby Glatzel gets that chance.
“But that’s the disappointment done, I can’t be prouder of the players, the staff, the whole football club on where we’ve dragged ourselves to this season.”
Emotions at both ends of the spectrum were aired to the players in the immediate aftermath of the result, with Harris calling for more from his players.
Asked what the last thing he said in the dressing room was before attending media duties, Harris said: “I showed my disappointment with strong words.
“I want more, I want more, because I know they can give me more.
“I’ve got winning mentality, I want that for my players.
“I also said, on top of that, I can’t be prouder. They should be proud of themselves.
“Their mums, their dads, their brothers, their sisters, their wives, their girlfriends, their children, should be so proud of them.
“Our fanbase should be proud of them and how far we’ve come. But let’s use that pride and our passion to drag us forward into next season.”
Disappointed as the group will be, Harris already has one eye on the future, and spoke of his desire to further cultivate a squad which represents the fanbase.
He added: “There’s been some really, really strong, positive words in the changing room from me and the players as well.
“Ultimately, I want a group of players that give me everything.
“Unless I’m mistaken, the football club should be built on hard graft, effort, determination which should represent the part of Wales that we live in and the club we play for, and first and foremost you never leave anything on the pitch.
“Add some quality to it as well, and we want to be successful, and the players have just reiterated that. They enjoy training, they enjoy the games, enjoy the way we play, what we’ve achieved this year.
“There’ll be some pats on the back for staff, rightly so, and players, rightly so. It counts for nothing moving forward next season.
“We have to reproduce it all again, and September 12, we’ll be ready to go again.
“I think what we’ve shown is we’ve got the capability in the group to compete at the top end of the division.”