Being professional counts in the end.
In many games this season in the league we have won the games because we have been better technically than our opposition and physically fitter as well, able to last the full 90 minutes playing at a high tempo.
Against the various professional levels from the visitors, Brighton & Hove Albion, the boot was on the other foot so to speak and it was they who played the whole match with plenty of pace and energy which finally caught up with our players for the last 15 minutes.
There's no doubt the task of beating a team from a club in second place in the Championship was always a daunting task and for us to win the tie they would need to have an off day and the Crows would have to play very well indeed.
The task was not helped when some players were unavailable to play for various reasons such as injury and suspension, Attwood, Treleaven, Turner and Appiah to name some, but those that did play certainly put a shift in and acquitted themselves well against some high quality players on the opposition team.
During the first half especially, the Crows gave as good as they got, going toe to toe with the visitors although we didn't quite look as sharp as them in the forward area and never really threatened Collings in the Albion goal as much as they did to Ellis in our goal.
The deadlock was broken in the 22nd minute as the visitors demonstrated the pace and power they had within the team by breaking from their own half and within three passes were firing a shot in to the top corner of the net from an acute angle. Cadman was the scorer after being set free by Bennett just outside the area, 1-0 to them and on the balance of play it was deserved.
The Crows did create chances, Carey had a good effort that just curled away from goal and over the bar. Carrington and Muggeridge both put dangerous balls low across the face of the Albion goal unfortunately the ball just evaded the on-rushing Crow players and the chances went begging.
For the start of the second half Bjordal replaced Tighe for the Albion and he certainly made a difference, using his pace, technique and physical strength to good effect and proved to be a thorn in the Crows side for the rest of the half.
The Crows had to put in a good defensive effort for large parts of the second half in truth as the superior fitness of the visitors began to tell. The Albion had a goal disallowed for offside, hit the frame of the goal twice and Ellis had to make two great saves in quick succession to prevent the winning score being greater. Barton and Tear also had to put their bodies on the line by flinging themselves at the ball as the Albion player fired the ball goalwards.
In the end the second goal did arrive in the 83rd minute, Cardwell putting the ball past Ellis from some twelve yards out although the stopper did well to get his hand to the ball and nearly push it around the post.
Both sides made substitutions at varying times during the half, Dallison and Adjibaye going off and Baker and O'Sullivan coming on, whilst Vickers came on for Walder, Pearson for Carrington and Unwin for Crabb as the clock ticked towards the 90 minutes.
In the end, class told and the Albion will now play Eastbourne Borough in the semi-final but the Crows don't have anything to be ashamed about and Dan Ellis was named the Crows Player of the Match.
The Crows can now concentrate on the league and Saturday's fixture away to Corinthian FC at Gay Dawn Farm with a 3:00pm kick off.