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"It's a sorry night for all of us, it's a sorry night for the whole club because again we've huffed and puffed. We've tried hard, physically and mentally in that sense, but Stockport County have taken the opportunities that came their way and we didn't. Then once you get a couple of goals behind as we've done tonight suddenly the thinking goes astray and that affects the decision making which affects the passing and suddenly it looks a little bit of shambles.
" It turned into a sorry evening for everybody concerned, we wanted to progress, there is no doubt about that. We've tried hard to do that but Stockport County have got to be given credit, they have done very well and defended well against us. They've taken a little break or two when it has gone their way but I can't grumble about the result. They have put their chances away.
" They played with their one player upfront and they have come with a gameplan, they have got to really pass it out through those players. We've tried to break up that passing, we've done that pretty well throughout the first 45 minutes without having that cute bit of play or that clear bit of play to try to open them up and find our goal. With a bit of misfortune as well around the goal, things have not dropped quite right and it just wasn't our night.
" It just didn't go our way, even at 1-0 down we've had a great chance with Danny (Graham's) header that has come off the inside of the post and stayed out. You are looking for the net to go and you think that the ascendancy goes with us but it just didn't go for us this evening whatever we tried to do. We've gone out of the cup which is a disappointment for everybody.
" It hurts me and it hurts the supporters around us as well, we are not kidding ourselves that we are on our own in that, that's why I say that it is a sorry night for everybody concerned. I can assure everybody that we wanted to progress, there is no way I have messed around with the team or the players have messed around with the competition. The same goes for the FA Cup, we've just now got a week to accept all the grumbles and complaints that come with this result.
" We can comfort ourselves a little bit that we are in a decent position in the league and in a good position in the FA Cup but we can't put anything right until a weeks time. We've got to get our heads back up, get back on the training ground and work very hard to see if we can put this to bed when we get the Grimsby game on. It will be frustrating waiting for a week but I can't do anything about it, this game, the Nottingham Forest game, there is nothing that I can do to get a game at the weekend. "
" We maybe need a little breather, we maybe needed this result - who knows? We'll only find that out as the next few games come along. We'll obviously be majorly disappointed about this but if we can use it to our advantage in the matches to come, and we've got some big ones to come. We can maybe think that it was a blessing in disguise but at the moment it doesn't feel like any sort of blessing whatsoever.
" It just compounds the whole evening that the other League One sides have gone out, I said that nothing has gone for us whatsoever and that's nothing against Stockport. They deserve to go through, they have taken their opportunities as I say. So it wouldn't surprise me if other things have gone that way and you think - what if? Life is full of those things though, what we've got to do instead of what ifs is that we've got to do what we do next. The important thing is how people move on from here.
" There are plenty of good performances to look back on in terms of that, they say that one swallow doesn't make a summer in the same way that one defeat doesn't make you a bad side. There were some pleasant words from Jim Gannon and Peter Ward after the game saying that we are a good side and to keep it going.
" That's not any sort of patronising from the opposing manager as I know that he means that. He's absolutely right, we've got a good side that didn't do very well tonight but if it continues to keep its head then as a group of people it will continue to do well and that is something that myself and Greg (Abbott) have got to make sure happens.
" It's nice standing out there, Millwall at 4-0 up, and Chester winning 4-2, and when I come in the job doesn't get any better than that. I do know though, being in the game a long time, that it is going to get a bit worse than that. I didn't want it to be as bad as it was tonight, it was as bad as it gets, we don't want too many of these obviously.
" I just said to the team to take everything that is coming our way because the criticisms will come and that's fine, we expect them and understand them. We can't do anything until next Tuesday in result terms of getting the right game at Grimsby Town but certainly between us and in the changing rooms, and on the training ground we can get things done and put to rights. That's what we'll try to do. "