Folkestone boss Neil Cugley cut a dejected figure after Saturday's play-off final.

Having just watched his side lose 3-0 at home to Merstham - narrowly missing out on promotion for the second season running - Cugley admitted he'd been hit hard by the defeat.

He said: "Somebody said ‘you’ve got to get the players’ heads up’ but I’ve got to get my head up first. I’m feeling a bit low at the moment.

"I’ll speak to the chairman later in the week and see where we go.

"That’s knocked me down a bit really. We worked so hard and losing at home for the second year running does hurt. I know we haven’t got a lot of money but it still doesn’t make any difference.

"I know how far this club has come and it’s been brilliant to get out of debt – I suppose that was the most important thing – but as a football person, it does hurt.

"A lot of the lads have signed on for next year and I think they’ll stay if I stay - but the word among ourselves on next year was that we all wanted to be up (in the Ryman Premier).

"In the play-offs, we’ve lost to Dulwich (in 2012) and Maidstone (in 2013), who were better clubs than us. I can’t deny that. Last year, Leatherhead was even-stevens but they’ve gone up and spent a bit of money and they’ve done well.

"But Merstham, no disrespect to them but I thought they were a side we should have beaten."

Folkestone, who finished runners-up in Ryman League Division 1 South for the second year running, were on a 15-match unbeaten run going into the final.

Cugley said: "We’d done so well, gone on a great run, came into the game at home and the second half just seemed dull. It’s a shame, really.

"At home, on the run we’re having, we should have performed better than that at both ends of the park – that was where the nightmare was."

He added: "You get so involved in the financial things here – I have done for the last few years - and I’m proud we’ve got out of debt and got in the play-offs but when you get there, it does hurt as a manager to lose the games, very much so."

Full play-off coverage in Wednesday's Folkestone & Hythe Express.