NATHAN Vaughan said he and his Worcester City team-mates were “gutted” to be knocked out of the FA Cup after their 3-0 first-round defeat at Sheffield United.

The goalkeeper, who made a name for himself by saving a penalty in last season’s shock win at Coventry City, was again on fine form at Bramall Lane, keeping City in the match until late on.

“We’re gutted with the result in the end but they are a fantastic football team and we were privileged to be playing there,” said Vaughan.

“We can hold our heads high and say we’ve given them a run for their money.

“The lads are gutted but I said, ‘Look, we’re sitting in Sheffield United’s away dressing room and we have a right to be here with our results.’ "We’re just trying to put little Worcester on the map.

“It will take a few days because it’s our pride that’s hurting at the moment.

"We’re just men and when we go on that pitch it’s 11 v 11 and it doesn’t matter whether you’re playing Manchester United or Manchester City.

“When you’re a footballer, you just want to win so we’re disappointed but when we reflect we will think that we gave them a run for their money for 80 minutes.”

The former Kidderminster Harriers shot-stopper frustrated the Blades with a string of fine saves but says the team’s emphasis is now back on picking up their Vanarama National League North form.

A lack of league action has meant City have dropped to the bottom of the table, one point off safety but with games in hand on most teams around them.

Vaughan said: “It’s my job. Yes, I have pulled off some saves but there was also some fantastic blocks and performances from across the team.

“Hopefully, we can now work on staying in the league. We go again on Saturday (at Stalybridge Celtic) so will be preparing correctly.

“We will just do our best on the pitch and try to get City where they belong.

"We have to get some points on the board and the guys behind the scenes are working on trying to get the new ground.”

A huge following of 2,000 travelling fans headed to Sheffield for the tie and Vaughan described the supporters as among the best in the country.

He added: “We were third bottom in the league at the time and had 2,000 fans at Sheffield, which was amazing.

“I’ve played at some good clubs but I would be hard pushed to find a better set of fans. I was just disappointed we didn’t get a goal for them to cheer.

“ I wish the ball had gone in the net at the end. They deserved that for their efforts.”