Cardiff boss Dave Jones was proud of his side despite their 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth in the FA Cup final.
Jones told BBC Sport: "A slight mistake cost us, we gave it everything we've got and we've done everyone proud.
"What we have done today is prove that maybe other teams can achieve what they thought was impossible.
"I'm very proud of my players, my staff, the chairman, and especially (the fans). They have been magnificent and I'm just sad we couldn't see it through to the death for them.
"There wasn't a great deal in it, there's no-one to blame, but it's hard to swallow."
Asked whether the run to the final should be a springboard for the club to now mount a challenge for promotion to the Premier League, Jones said: "It has to be. We've struggled for two years, no money for the last two years.
"We've now got a brand-new stadium, fantastic training facilities and if we don't move on from here, we want shooting."
