Blyth Spartans captain Robbie Dale has admitted that his side were outclassed in the second half of their 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Birmingham City.
Dale scored twice in the first half to give the seventh-tier side a shock 2-0 lead going into the break and a chance to pull off a third-round upset at Croft Park.
However, the Blues rallied in the second half and managed to book their place in the fourth round thanks to a brace from Wes Thomas and a Lee Novak strike.
Dale told BBC Sport: "At 2-0 up we got carried away. Once they came out and got one their tails were up and they showed their class.
"We had a perfect first-half but Birmingham were so quick to get three. It was a brilliant atmosphere today, both sets of fans were top class.
"We thought we would be hanging on all game so to be 2-0 up at the break was amazing. We've had a great cup run."
The Spartans defeated Altrincham and North-East rivals Hartlepool United to reach the third round of the competition.
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