Brighton and Hove Albion Women’s boss Dario Vidošić thanked supporters for their touching tribute to his late father ahead of their first ever FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
Albion were condemned to a 4-0 defeat by Manchester City who completed their first ever domestic league and cup double.
Before the match, the travelling Brighton supporters unveiled a tifo depicting Dario and Rado Vidošić, who died from cancer in January of this year.
The message on the design read: “Father, coach, mentor. We hope we made you proud.”
The fans' tribute to Rado Vidosic | Picture by Adam Sayerplaceholder image
The fans' tribute to Rado Vidosic | Picture by Adam Sayer
The Brighton manager’s late father was a much-loved coach at the Seagulls, and Vidošić was greatly appreciative of the moving gesture.
He said: “It was a beautiful thing to see, and I'd like to say thank you to the club and the fans. I don't want to say just today, but each day is always different.
“Some days are a little bit easier. Some days can be tough when I look back and knowing that Dad would have been here with us as well, and he would have loved to have been a part of today. But I'm sure he was, in a way.
“He was probably in the best seat in the house somewhere watching it, and it was a good game. Two good teams trying to go at it, going toe-to-toe. And I think in the end, irrespective of the result, he would have been really, really proud of the girls.”
And on whether he was surprised by the big turnout of Albion supporters, he added: “I wasn't surprised. I think it's just been growing, and I want to say a massive thank you to the fans.
“They were terrific today and also throughout the season, so we're sorry that we couldn't have given them something more to celebrate, but that wasn't from a lack of trying.
“The girls gave absolutely everything. They tried - it just wasn't our day today getting the ball into the back of the net, but we're very, very thankful to our fans and hopefully today will just keep growing that and we can have even bigger numbers supporting us next season.”
The 43,917 in attendance at Wembley on Sunday were made up of many travelling up from the South Coast. While the result was disappointing, the future looks bright for Albion’s women after an improved league campaign and a new purpose-built stadium in the works.
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