Sunday 10 January 2016 19:13, UK
Scunthorpe United manager Mark Robins believes his side can take a huge amount from their FA Cup third-round clash with Chelsea on Sunday, despite losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors, currently sitting 15th in League One, only trailed to Diego Costa's 13th-minute strike at half-time, before substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek sealed Chelsea's win with his first goal for the club midway through the second half.
And Robins felt it was that strike which in the end broke his players' resistance against the Premier League champions.
"We huffed and puffed and caused them one or two scares, but ultimately Loftus-Cheek has come on and got on the end of a pull back and got a decent contact on it for 2-0," he said after the match.
"It puts the game a little bit to bed there. Having said that, we have tried to get back in it and get a goal, and it just was not to be."
Scunthorpe arrived in west London hoping to produce a similar giant killing to that which Bradford City caused when beating Chelsea 4-2 at home in the fourth round of the cup last year.
"Speaking to their staff and talking about the game against Bradford last year and they thought it had a similar flavour to that game," Robins said. "And having watched the game, I know where they are coming from.
"I think that goals obviously change games and getting goals at the right stages of games can obviously influence and help the way the game pans out.
"But I have got to say I am proud of the lads and taking things forward, for me most importantly now that the game is over, I think dealing with the interest in us this week, it has been brilliant.
"And for Scunthorpe as a town and as football club, I think it has been a fantastic week. The FA Cup always gives clubs a spotlight and I think that that has been handled really, really well this week.
"I am pleased, I am proud of the players and I think that moving forwards we can take a lot of positives out that game for the second half of the season."
