Henrik Pedersen was proud of the performance of his young Sheffield Wednesday players, despite seeing their League Cup run ended by League Two Grimsby Town.
Having knocked Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United out on penalties in the first two rounds, the Owls lost 1-0 at home to a Mariners side who had reached this stage by beating Manchester United on spot kicks.
As is his way as he tries to battle through a terrible situation created by the mismanagement of chairman/owner Dejphon Chansiri, Pedersen was dwelling on the positives.
"I'm disappointed that we have lost, but behind this loss I'm again really happy for the performance from our young guys," he said after once more fielding a side with only a couple of senior players in goalkeeper Ethan Horvath and captain Jamal Lowe.
"In the big picture now I've seen three cup games with our young guys and when I look back from when we started the pre-season and to see where all the young guys are today, then I can only be proud of this development.
"Tonight I think we played a very equal game against a really good Grimsby team and our boys showed that they can also in a game like this can make a really good performance.
"They scored from a set-piece, but besides this I think we were strong defensively and we were also much better on the ball than against Leeds, where we had 20 per cent of the ball, it was much more (51.7 per cent).
PROUD: Henrik Pedersen with Jarvis Thornton (Image: Steve Ellis)placeholder image
PROUD: Henrik Pedersen with Jarvis Thornton (Image: Steve Ellis)
"We had still a challenge to create the big chances, we had one in the first half I think, one in the second half."
The Owls picked up injuries to wing-backs Olaf Kobacki and Reece Johnson, something they can ill afford with such a small squad.
With that in mind, Pedersen was asked if there was any relief at having no more cup fixtures in 2025.
"We always said we don't want to have more games but we would love to have the next game," said Pedersen. "It was always a balance but of course we would love to have won this game so we could have another game for our young boys. But I think we have to be proud and happy for those three games, how much our boys have grown from those three games."
WINNER: Grimsby Town's Cameron McJannet wheels away after Grimsby Town's goal (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)placeholder image
WINNER: Grimsby Town's Cameron McJannet wheels away after Grimsby Town's goal (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Johnson picked up an injury when his foot appeared to twist, whereas Kobacki's appeared to be muscular.
Speaking to the media straight after the game, Pedersen had not yet been able to assess either.
Grimsby's manager, former Rotherham-born former Millers defender David Artell, agreed with Pedersen's assessment that it had been an even match.
Tyrell Warren's brilliant tackle to stop Wednesday's George Brown having a clean shot at goal was one of the few highlights.
"I don' think there was much in the game – the goal and Ty's unbelievable clearance," he said. "I don't think our keeper's had a save to make.
"To limit a Championship team to one chance, I don't think there was much between the two teams, in truth.
"We could have been much better, we have been much better but we found a way to win. that's one of the best qualities in a football team."