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17 May 2001 GUJDON A GOOD SPORT IN DEFEAT
The Stoke City manager Gudjon Thordarson was disappointed not to manage to reach the final of the Nationwide League Division Two play-off final but he sportingly paid tribute to Walsall.
He conceded, “The better side won.”
“The atmosphere in our dressing room afterwards was as if someone had died. We have to assess it all with a cool and calm head.”
The Potters were destroyed with four goals in the 20 minutes around the break at the Bescot Stadium.
Graham Kavanagh scored a spectacular first-half goal to open the tie after the deadlock of the first leg at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday but City were unable to hold on to the lead.
Thordarson added: “We made naïve mistakes on the night which cost us dearly. But when we look back over the two legs we have to be honest and say we were beaten by the better side. Obviously, we have not made the progress I wanted.”
