Wealdstone boss David Noble looked at the positives after his side suffered penalty shootout heartbreak to bow out of the FA Trophy against Solihull Moors on Saturday.

After Callum Maycock had cancelled out Wealdstone midfielder Max Kretzschmar’s early opener, the two sides couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes of their quarter-final tie at Grosvenor Vale.

And it was penalties which ultimately ended the Stones’ dream of taking another step towards a Wembley final.

“When we sit down and reflect on it, there’s a lot of good things to take from it,” said Noble, who was clearly devastated by the result.

“To lose the game on penalties is not easy. It’s a bit of a gutter, and there are some sad players in the dressing room.

"Everyone’s a bit down, but you’ve got to put that behind you quickly. We’ve got games coming thick and fast, and we need some positive minds.”

Noble was quick to point out how impressed he was with the overall performance of his players during the 90 minutes, suggesting they recovered well after a slow start to the match.

“I thought we did well. The start of the game wasn’t too great. I think we were a little bit laboured and slow,” he added.

“After the first 25 minutes, we were good, and in the second half, you’re thinking there’s only going to be one team to come away with it.

"But it wasn’t to be, and we couldn’t get that second goal.”

In spite of such a gutting loss, Noble remained clear and concise about his intention to keep his players laser-focused on what’s to come as the Stones face what looks to be a season-defining period over the next couple of weeks.

“It was one of the main things I wanted to do when I went in there after the game - to get people positive,” he said.

“I know it’s difficult. You can have a little bit of down time tonight and think of the result, but we’ve quickly got to get in the mindset and put today behind us.

"It’s been a really great run for the club in this competition, and I think it’s difficult because every footballer wants to play at Wembley.

“I understand the chins on chests, but we’ve got to get our minds focused and obviously the rest of the season as we’ve got massive games coming up. They’re really, really important games, so we move on."

Stones saw their midweek meeting with Bromley postponed due to a waterlogged pitch but are due to visit AFC Fylde on Saturday.