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Manager Kevin Watson was philosophical after the width of the crossbar denied Cray Valley victory in the FA Vase final at Wembley.
Anthony Edgar's shot in the fifth minute of stoppage-time, which beat Chertsey keeper Nick Jupp but crashed back off the woodwork, proved to be the last kick of the 90 minutes.
Two goals in extra time won it for the Curfews but Watson refused to be downbeat after the game.
Scroll down to hear from the Cray Valley manager
He described his mood as "surprisingly OK" when speaking to reporters in the Wembley mixed zone.
Watson said : "It's disappointing to lose but it's fine margins, isn't it?
"We hit the crossbar with the last kick of the 90 minutes but it was two good teams out there. They're a good team and they did a job against us.
"I thought our boys did OK considering the occasion.
"You've got the four subs that got on and the 11 who started so you've got 15 lads that have experienced playing at Wembley.
"Yes, the objective was to win the FA Vase and right now, it's tough to take but I think, in time, that will settle down slightly and they'll realise what they have achieved."
Cray Valley scored first at Wembley, through Gavin Tomlin, but they only led for three minutes.
"That aspect was disappointing," Watson admitted. "We started off slow and then we were starting to get information onto the pitch about how we could be more threatening to them.
"We got the goal but it's what happens in football sometimes. They say you're vulnerable when you score a goal and that was the case today."
Chertsey scored a penalty at the end of the first period of extra time and it was hard to see Cray Valley coming back after that.
Watson said: "He's had a good season, Cem Tumkaya, a young lad, but he's conceded a penalty.
"He'll be beating himself up as much as anyone in there but you've got to be resilient. Football's not only full of highs.
"This is a high, right? It feels like a low at the moment but it's a high in these boys' careers and they'll bounce back and they'll be OK."
The Wembley experience will be unforgettable for everyone connected with Cray Valley.
"It's been great," Watson said. "The lead-up's been tough for people outside of the playing community.
"For the players, it's been relatively normal because they've been training and getting used to it but the club's found it difficult and so they should - no club of our size is set up to be able to deal with an occasion like this.
"In the hotel last night and coming today, it's brilliant. We've got the DJ in the changing-room and all the players' names (on their shirts) so it's an absolutely phenomenal experience for them.
"There's many professionals in the game who never get the experience of playing at Wembley so all credit to them.
"Now my work starts for next season. We've been promoted and I'm three weeks delayed in that so as from next week, myself, Tommy Osborne and Kevin James need to get back to the drawing board, get friendlies sorted, sort the pitch out, talk to the players about next season because we haven't done that yet and possibly talk to various other players we may need to bring into the squad."
