MELKSHAM Town manager Kieran Baggs admits he feels heartbroken after his side were dumped out of the FA Vase courtesy of Thatcham Town’s 90th-minute winner.

A bumper crowd of 2208 turned out at Oakfields stadium for the biggest game in the club’s 142-year history as they looked to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition.

The game opened tentatively and there were few chances between the two clubs, Luke Ballinger drew a comfortable save out of Chris Rackley, as the hosts looked for a break through.

Thatcham’s best chance of the half came from Ekow Elliot who couldn’t quite keep his half-volley down as he lashed the ball towards Rob Brown.

In the second half, Melksham and Thatcham took it in turns to look the more menacing, however, with the game heading towards extra time, Elliot shuffled the ball well to create space, before slotting it into the back of the net.

A flurry of late free-kicks weren’t enough for Melksham as they crashed out of the competition as quarter-finalists.

“It’s an absolute heartbreaker for me, I am gutted for the boys,” said Baggs.

“The performance deserved to take it into extra time, but to concede in the 90th minute is a tough one to take at the moment.

“Football is fine margins. To get to this stage in the competition you need to take your chances and unfortunately, we didn’t do that today.

“The performance and the character they showed was great, but there is still that feeling of disappointment.”

Baggs also says he is now aware his side need to regroup quickly for next weekend’s away fixture with Wellington.

After defeat to the Hellenic League Premier Division outfit, the Melksham manager says he also needs to learn how to pick himself up.

“I’ll have to sit down and reflect on things, because it is a difficult one for me to digest,” said the 29-year-old.

“I think it will be a reality check for them. When we come back in for training, it’s my job to pick them up.

“This is probably the worst I have felt in football so it will be hard for me too. I have to dust myself down and make sure I can get us ready for next Saturday when we are back in league action.

“We are still in the hunt for promotion, we have lots still to play for, but it is a bit of a sickening feeling.”