Danny Scopes labelled his Concord Rangers players as heroes after they narrowly missed out on lifting silverware at Wembley.

The Beach Boys suffered a 1-0 defeat to League Two outfit Harrogate Town in the FA Trophy final thanks to Josh Falkingham’s late winner.

However, Scopes insists his National League South charges, who had not featured in a competitive outing since February, could be proud of their efforts.

“I don’t think anyone could fault us for effort, hunger or desire,” said Scopes, who led Concord to Wembley for the first time in the club’s history.

“The way Harrogate celebrated after the final whistle shows the respect they gave us and we had them on the ropes at times.

“We couldn’t quite get over the line when we needed to but the boys are all heroes.

“As an overall performance, it was a moral victory for Concord Rangers even though we didn’t win the trophy.”

Jack Cawley missed a golden opportunity to hand the Beach Boys the lead before Harrogate hit the winner and Scopes admits his players were disappointed to leave the home of football without silverware despite going into the clash as underdogs.

Scopes added: “When you lose a game of football, you should be disappointed regardless of what the competition is or who the opponents are.

“The boys are hurting in the changing room and it will hurt for a little while, but they can all be proud of the effort they put in.

“They put their bodies on the line and it’s an amazing achievement to come to Wembley and push a League Two side all the way.”

Scopes, who also featured for the Beach Boys during his playing career, was proud to lead his team out at Wembley.

“On a personal note, it was a brilliant moment,” admitted Scopes.

“A lot of people have put in a lot of effort at the club through the years and my team made them proud.”