Saturday 28 May 2016 21:41, UK
Carlos Carvalhal said he was proud of his Sheffield Wednesday side following their Sky Bet Championship play-off final defeat to Hull City.
A stunning strike from Mo Diame sealed an instant return to the Premier League for the Tigers as the Owls' 16-year wait for a top flight return continues.
But despite the heartbreak, the Portuguese manager - who was unknown in English football at the start of the season - was delighted with how his side have performed, although did concede that Hull were the better side.
"I'm proud of the players, the club and the fans but at the same time we are unhappy because we've lost the final but football is good when we dream," Carvalhal told Sky Sports.
"I must talk in two different ways. One, I think we had a really fantastic season and nobody expected us to finish in this position. Another thing is the final, and we played against a strong team. We fight, we ran, we tried to organise but today Hull were better than us and they deserved to win.
"Even in the second half, we started to play a little bit better, to press higher up like we usually do but today, in this game, the details make the difference and it was a fantastic goal that did it.
"But you have to be very good to be at Wembley and although we lose one game in the final, in my opinion, it was with very good quality and we deserve everything we have lived so far, so I am proud."
Sheffield Wednesday fans were in fine voice throughout the game, and even stayed behind after the final whistle to applaud their squad, with Carvalhal also praising them for their contribution on Saturday.
"The atmosphere was fantastic, as was the emotional reaction we had with the fans so when we finished the game, me and my players are very proud," he added.
"Our fans are enjoying the way that we play and it's something we want to achieve and continue this kind of work. We want our fans to be proud of the team. They pay for the tickets and they like what they are looking at.
"I can't say we are happy because we aren't but of course, the way that we finished the game and the way that the fans greeted us with a big applause makes us ready for the next season."
The Owls will face the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa next season, as well as other established Championship clubs vying for a promotion spot, but Carvalhal will be taking it game-by-game.
"With the Championship, you never know what can happen because it's a hard competition. What we want to stay is our brand and quality of football which we usually play better than today, but during the season we play very good football.
"With the results, you never know with this kind of competition so we must go step-by-step again because next season will be a very tough league with the teams that are relegated and the strong teams that we have in the competition but I'm sure we will start next season better than we started this season.
"I think we've woken up the giant and Sheffield Wednesday have woken up. All the clubs will now respect our club like we deserve."
