'I thought we just didn't quite do enough' - Graham Coughlan

A devastated Graham Coughlan admitted Waterford FC's Club Orange FAI Men's Cup final defeat would leave a lasting scar, but insisted he could not be prouder of the players who carried the club from relegation fears to the brink of glory at the Aviva Stadium.

The Waterford manager cut an emotional figure in the aftermath of his side's 1-0 defeat to Derry City, with Darragh Burns' second-half strike proving the difference on an afternoon when the Blues battled bravely but could not find the breakthrough they desperately craved.

Less than an hour after the final whistle, Coughlan spoke of his pain at seeing a campaign of such promise end in disappointment.

"We're all gutted," he admitted.

"We wanted to win so badly. We wanted to bring that trophy back to Waterford.

"I thought we just didn't quite do enough on the day. We didn't ask enough questions of their goalkeeper.

"Just those moments that we needed that little bit of composure, that little bit of quality, they just weren't there for us."

The defeat ended a remarkable cup run and also saw Waterford fail to score for the first time since August, something that even surprised their manager.

"I'm really surprised actually because this group of lads score every game," he said.

"I can't remember the last time we didn't score."

While there was obvious disappointment, Coughlan repeatedly returned to one theme throughout his post-match reflections: pride.

As he spoke, his thoughts were with the players who sat dejected in the dressing room after seeing their dream of lifting the famous old trophy slip away.

"There's some young lads that need looking after as well, need protecting," he said.

"I'm so, so proud of this group of lads. I'm so, so proud of their work ethic, their hunger and the desire that they've showed.

"They've done brilliant. They've done absolutely brilliant as a group. We've just come up short and that really hurts."

The Waterford boss pointed to the extraordinary progress made by the squad over the course of the season, noting that the club could easily have found itself involved in a relegation play-off rather than preparing for the biggest match in domestic football.

"We could very easily have been up in Tallaght playing a play-off game," he said.

"We could very easily have ended up bottom of the league, but this group of lads have made sure this football club wasn't in Tallaght and was in the Aviva."

Coughlan felt the final ultimately came down to one decisive moment, crediting Derry's experience of competing on major occasions.

"They produced the one moment of quality that was needed and sometimes that's all you need in football," he said.

"Maybe that little bit of nous, that little bit of experience got them over the line."

Despite the pain of defeat, the Waterford manager challenged his players to use the experience as motivation in the years ahead.

"We need to have that hunger and desire to want to get back here, to want to correct today's result," he said.

"Our ambition has got to be to get back here and bring some silverware back."

Before leaving, Coughlan reserved special praise for Waterford's supporters, whose colour and noise transformed the Aviva into a sea of blue.

"The Block E lads, the tifos and all today, that was different class," he said.

"We want to thank them for everything they've done for us.

"Let's go and chase down silverware. Let's go and chase down European football."

The trophy may have escaped Waterford on this occasion, but if Coughlan's message was clear, it was that this final should be viewed not as the end of a journey but the beginning of a far more ambitious future.