GRIMSBY Town's players have to ensure they are back at Wembley on May 5 to experience the winning feeling – and clinch a Football League return.
That's the message from goalkeeper James McKeown and centre-half Shaun Pearson following the Mariners' FA Trophy final defeat yesterday.
It was penalty shoot-out despair for Town and their 17,000 fans at the home of English football.
But the team-mates agree that they can learn from that disappointment and use it to their advantage in the Blue Square Bet Premier play-off final.
"We need to be back there," said McKeown, who was the Telegraph's man-of-the-match. "From what we've put in this season, we can't just fall away now.
"We need to use this experience. I know it's a cliché but we need to draw on the way we feel now, however bad we feel as individuals and as a team.
"We need to make sure we're back at Wembley in four or five weeks and then have the opposite feeling – how Wrexham are feeling now.
"I look around our dressing room and I think we can do it. Everyone can see how bad a run we've been on, it's five games now without a win, but I'm sure some of our experienced players and the gaffers have been on worse runs when they were players.
"You have to stick together and show the experience, and it's a learning curve for the ones that haven't experienced it."
The keeper, who made a string of superb saves to keep Town in the final, was unable to prevent any of Wrexham's four shoot-out kicks from hitting the back of the net.
In Pictures: Grimsby Town v Wrexham - Match Gallery 3
In Pictures: Grimsby Town v Wrexham - Match Gallery 2
In Pictures: Grimsby Town v Wrexham - Match Gallery 1
In Pictures: Grimsby Town fans in Wembley Stadium
In Pictures: Grimsby Town fans outside Wembley
He added: "Given the occasion and the game, that's maybe as well as I've played, but it's no consolation because we lost. They've probably been the better team in terms of going out to win the game but I think we defended as a team how we've defended all the season.
"We've put our bodies on the line – everyone, whether it's Shaun (Pearson) making a block or our left-winger putting a foot in, has defended.
"Obviously it is disappointing but ultimately there's not much you can do when it goes to penalties and it's 50-50 – there isn't any blame attached to anyone."
Town centre-half Pearson was equally determined to put things rights – by achieving promotion to League Two at the end of the campaign.
"The support was clear to see, and to play another big club in the final and to have such a big crowd there was fantastic," he said. "It was a special moment to come out to such a roar."
"Personally, the biggest crowd I've played in front of was less than 7,000, so to come out to something like that was ever so special. It's just a shame that we couldn't make it more special for them.
"We've got two options – we can either feel sorry for ourselves and the season can pitter away, or it's down to us to get ready for Tuesday."
The former Boston United man continued: "People say 'you've got to pick yourselves up' but I don't see any bigger inspiration other than to go back to Wembley to win a play-off final.
"No matter how everyone is feeling now, if we go back and win the play-off final I'm sure that will be a better feeling – because becoming a Football League player is something some of our lads have never experienced, including myself.
"For the lads that have been there, no doubt it will be just as good a feeling for them to get back.
"I'm not sure if it (Wrexham's equaliser) was a penalty. If our player had done the same I would have been pleased – I think he's won it rather than been fouled, but I'd have to see it back."
