LITTLE Oakley joint-boss Sean Tynan admitted his side paid a heavy price for missing chances in tonight’s Essex Premier Cup defeat against Frenford Senior.

After dominating the first half and then going ahead early in the second, their Essex Olympian League opponents battled back to win 4-1 at Thurrock’s Ship Lane ground.

Tynan was proud of his players, for performing so well just to get to the final.

But he felt missed opportunities – including three in the first half – were pivotal moments in the contest.

“I thought we were by far the better team in the first half but we missed chances,” he said.

“We played some good football but just couldn’t score.

“Then in the second half we started well, got in front with a well-taken goal and kept battling.

“But fair play to Frenford.

“They dug in and scored from four of their five chances.

“That’s the bottom line and if you don’t take your chances, you don’t win. That’s football.

“They scored a couple of sloppy goals, from our point of view, both from set-pieces, and from then on we were chasing the game.

“It was always going to be hard from then on but the final score was harsh on us.”

Tynan, who runs the side with Paul Sadler, said that despite losing, his players should be proud of their efforts in this season’s Essex Premier Cup.

“We’ll take the positives,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic achievement to get this far and losing in the final doesn’t take anything away from that.

“The players should be hungry for more now.

“This has given them a taste and it’s a young side, so hopefully they can get to the final again in their careers and go one step further next time.”

For full coverage, including the thoughts of joint-boss Paul Sadler and striker Trevor Lewis, see Friday’s Harwich and Manningtree Standard.