CRAIG Mahon has a challenge in front of him – how to make Curzon Ashton even better next season after this campaign ended in agony.
Hayden Campbell and Jordan Richards missed penalties as they bowed out of the National League Play-Offs in the cruellest way possible.
After a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes that saw Mahon’s side be arguably the better side, a historic campaign finished in front of a crowd of 2,128 – including about 250 Curzon fans.
But manager Mahon, who said opposite number Andy Preece admitted his side deserved a win, is already looking towards next season and bettering the achievements.
He told the club: “We’ll make sure we come back stronger.
“Every time you finish a season, the next thing you want to do is be better. How can we be better than last season?
“That’s what we’ll all look at. How can we outdo what we’ve done this season?
“It’s going to be tough; people are going to expect us to be where we are every year now. That’s the challenge for the staff.
“Next year our plan is to try and do that again.”
Curzon’s campaign, which saw them defy many people’s predictions, almost got even better as Stefan Mols missed a great chance late in extra time.
Jimmy Spencer, Isaac Sinclair and Adam Barton also had sight of goal as the Nash, who finished seventh in the regular season, pushed for a semi-final trip to Brackley Town.
And the performance made Mahon proud, while there was no blame attached to those who missed penalties.
He added: “I feel proud and emotional – there are so many things going through my head.
“I’m gutted for the lads. I think they deserved the win if I’m being honest. I’m always honest when we don’t play well but I thought we were fantastic.
“Every man gave us absolutely everything and you can’t ask for more than that.
“From the day I come in until the Chorley game, the lads have pretty much done that every week. We just didn’t get our rewards.
“It’s football, it’s cruel, especially when you go to places like Chorley. You’ve got to take your chances.
“There’s loads for us to learn from this. That fact we were there was an absolute honour and a privilege. It’s tough to take but I’m proud and I’ll stay positive.
“I said to the lads that when the dust settles and the pain goes away, they’ll look back and think, ‘Wow, what we’ve achieved has been amazing.’
“Chorley’s manager came up and said, ‘I think you deserved it.’
“For him to say that doesn’t help but it’s such a nice thing. For them to say things about our club is absolutely fantastic.
“And regardless of whether they miss or score, if you have it in yourself to step up and take a penalty in front of that many fans, you deserve all the credit in the world.”