LEE Sinnott admitted Altrincham had only themselves to blame after Bath pulled the plug on their Wembley dream on Saturday.

Impressive wins over Macclesfield and Kidderminster raised hopes this could be Alty’s year in the FA Trophy, but their cup hoodoo against lower-placed opposition returned to haunt them, as they succumbed to a late headed winner.

"I wouldn’t agree that Bath necessarily deserved the win, because we had an awful lot of possession," said Alty boss Sinnott.

"They perhaps had more efforts on goal, without those chances being clearcut, but we let ourselves down by not capitalising on having so much of the ball on the fringe of their final third.

"If you don’t make the most of that, you are always going to be susceptible to one creeping in at the other end. To be fair, it was a great header, and I take nothing away from that, but it was easy to pinpoint what cost us.

"We were not dynamic enough in the final third, and we sometimes gave possession away too cheaply. We got ourselves in some decent positions to test them with dangerous crosses, but the quality was not there. It just didn’t ignite for us on the day."

With notable league wins over Bristol Rovers, Macclesfield, FC Halifax, Kidderminster and Eastleigh already under their belts, Sinnott was loathe to criticise his players, as they prepared to return to Vanarama Conference action against Aldershot at The J. Davidson Stadium on Saturday.

"I am disappointed for our supporters, of course I am, but, in terms of the performance, this was not a Trafford or Blyth," he said, in reference to recent cup defeats against lower league opposition.

"You could not possibly fault the players for effort or application, and if we had been anywhere near our A game in the final third, we would have gone through.

"It is disappointing to go out so close to the final stages, but the players can’t be faulted over the course of the season, and that’s why I have to hold it back a bit. We just need to dust ourselves down now and go again in the league."