ALLOA boss Jim Goodwin admitted it was tough to put his emotions into words after his side’s playoff final penalty heartbreak against Brechin.

The Wasps lost out on spot-kicks as the Glebe Park side claimed a place in the Championship, and Goodwin revealed that it’s the worst experience he’s had in two decades in the game.

And the player-manager said he was devastated for his players after they battled back to level the tie and take it to penalties.

Goodwin told Advertiser Sport: “It’s difficult to put it into words. It’s the lowest I’ve felt in my 20 years involved in the game. I’ve suffered some relegations along the way but I can’t ever remember feeling as bad as this. I’m devastated for the supporters and the directors, but more than anything I’m gutted for the players. They’ve done so well this season and they have shown what a good team they are.

“We gave a better account of ourselves than we did last Wednesday. They gave absolutely everything and I couldn’t have asked for any more. Over the course of the season we proved that we were the second-best team in the league, but we knew that counted for nothing in the playoffs. It comes down to what happens on the day and all credit to Brechin. We wish them well in the Championship.”

Goodwin’s side lost out after a highly entertaining match which swung from end to end, including a five-minute spell where three goals were scored, and the manager praised his players’ efforts after a gruelling encounter.

He said: “It was an incredible game. It was certainly a much better spectacle than the first leg. It was a good advert for the league – two teams that wanted to give it a right good go. Every single player was dead on their feet. There wasn’t one player who could have given any more. When it comes down to penalties, it is a lottery, and to be honest you might as well toss a coin. Somebody has to miss and I am gutted for Iain Flannigan because he has been terrific all season. He didn’t deserve to miss, but it had to be someone, and fair play to the players who took the responsibility on. It’s a hard thing to do.”

The former St Mirren midfielder revealed he didn’t have to say anything to his players after the final whistle, and reckons they will use the disappointment of missing out on promotion to come back stronger next season.

Goodwin added: “I didn’t say an awful lot because as you can imagine the boys are absolutely gutted. I just told them to remember what this feels like. We had a small taste of that a few weeks ago at Livingston. We want to use this next year to make us stronger. We will use it as motivation to go on and try to win the league next season.”