FA Cup: Exeter City fans in high spirits despite Forest loss
Despite being knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest, Exeter City fans were in high spirits on Tuesday night.The League One side held Nottingham Forest, of the Premier League, to a 2-2 draw after extra time, despite having a player sent off in the 87th minute.The match went to penalties, with the Premier League side winning 4-2 and proceeding to the next round.Former Exeter City player Martyn Rogers said he was disappointed the side lost on penalties, but said it was the "harsh reality" of cup football.
'Stepping stone'
Former Exeter City chairman Denise Watts said it was a "nail-biting" finish.She said: "I always worry about penalties, I spent penalties behind a blanket because I couldn't bear to watch."The players just stepped up to the game on a world stage, absolutely fantastic."Ms Watts said when fans were leaving St James Park on Tuesday night, it did not feel as though Exeter City had lost the game. "Walking out of the ground, they were all saying to me it doesn't feel like we've lost because we've won in so many other ways," she added.Martyn Rogers played for Exeter City in the early 1980s, including the side's 1981 FA Cup run.He said: "[I'm] so disappointed to go out on penalties, but that's the harsh reality of cup football and hopefully now, they can use this as a sort of a stepping stone to get some better results in the league."
One fan' leaving St James Park said: "It was one of the best performances that I've seen in some time. "I'm just really happy with the way the team played, and I think we should be really proud of ourselves and hopefully we can put together a string of results in the league as well." Another said it was a "remarkable achievement" for Exeter City to get as far as they did."It looked like it might be our day, but sadly not to be," they said. "I'm incredibly proud of the team, and I'm delighted to have come - I think we showed League One football is a pretty good standard."
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