Brabin: Play-off defeat was horrible

The 4-3 loss on spot kicks to AFC Wimbledon ensured Luton will spend another season in the Blue Square Bet Premier, as Brabin lost his second final as manager, after a previous defeat with Cambridge United in 2009.

He said: “It’s horrible. I can’t put into words how I feel and I think that goes for all the lads.

“It doesn’t get any easier and it’s disappointing as it’s the fact that we haven’t achieved our goal of promotion.

“There was a few tears for obvious reasons. I think we all genuinely thought it was going to be our day. There was a lot of belief leading up to the game, preparation was different class, we just felt like it was going to be our day and it wasn’t.

“It’s important that they absorb the disappointment and then it’s back to work.”

Brabin admitted he was starting to get a sinking feeling once Jason Walker’s penalty rebounded off the post in normal tim, while the striker wasn’t awarded a penalty after being felled by Dons keeper Seb Brown.

He continued: “I think once Jason‘s header comes off the post and I thought we should have had a penalty at the end as well. It’s not given and I must admit I did feel that (it wasn’t going to be our day) once the penalty wasn’t given.”

When it came down to spot kicks, Hatters saw Alex Lawless and Jason Walker both fail to score, the two players that Brabin felt had been the best in training.

He said: “I don’t think you can ever replicate the pressure and the atmosphere and the situation.

“We’ve practised penalties and probably the two who have missed are probably our two best penalty takers as well. It is what it is. We haven’t achieved our goal and that is disappointing.”

Brabin himself agreed a deal as manager until the end of the season after replacing Richard Money in March and will now sit down to consider his future at the club.

He said: “It’s something that I haven’t thought about. Whatever is necessary for the club to move forward, if I’m involved myself, players, budgets, every aspect of the club is going to have to start being spoke about.”

Over 12,000 Hatters fans made the trip to Eastlands on the day, easily outnumbering the Dons supporters and Brabin was bitterly disappointed they hadn’t been rewarded with a return to the Football League.

He added: “They have been different class. With the hardship they’ve had over the last few years, I really thought this was going to be the year where we start moving in the right direction.

“I’m genuinely not gutted for myself, I’m gutted for the players, team, the club, the supporters.

“I know how hard people work behind the scenes. There’s a lot of genuine people behind the scenes and I’m disappointed more for them to be honest.”