Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy was beyond proud of his side after a late penalty against Premiership side Aberdeen on Saturday saw them crash out of the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
Sam Cosgrove netted an 86th minute spot kick for the Pittodrie side, and it was harsh on Dumbarton who had come agonizingly close to securing a replay.
Duffy’s side worked tirelessly throughout the afternoon and the Sons boss admits he was gutted at the manner in which the Dons advanced to the next round.
He said: “If we’d have lost the goal after an hour, we’d still be frustrated and disappointed, but it’s more of a bitter pill to swallow when you lose it so late on and especially through a penalty.
“For a part-time team, our energy and our fitness right through to the last kick of the ball was there.
READ MORE: Scottish Cup heartache for Dumbarton after late Aberdeen penalty
“They were up against international players and to compete as well as we did was a terrific performance.
“The players deserve a lot of credit for the effort they put into the game.
“I’m not complaining about the penalty - it’s one of those ones were Rico [Quitongo] has planted his foot, but Sam is six foot four and players nowadays will go down if there’s contact in the box.
“It’s a penalty, but perhaps the player who knocked it back was offside. There are fractions that can turn a game and that’s one that didn’t go for us.
“Our job was to go up there and be difficult to break down and we were. It was a spirited performance, but a cup competition is about trying to stay in and, ultimately, we didn’t do that.”
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Dumbarton were cheered on by more than 300 Sons fans at Pittodrie and Duffy was quick to praise the loyal supporters who made the long journey north.
He added: “The support we had up there was terrific.
“You could hear them throughout the game which was great.
“They will have appreciated the effort that the players put in and the players certainly appreciated that vocal support.
“It’s not easy to go up and know that your team is going to be up against it for 90 minutes and to keep supporting them.”
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