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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town assistant coach Ian Taylor believes the future looks bright for the club's young players after they pushed Mamelodi Sundowns all the way in Saturday's Nedbank Cup final.
Read: Sundowns lift Nedbank Cup trophy
The Urban Warriors missed out on a first piece of silverware since 2007 as they went down on penalties to the Brazilians after this weekend's Ke Yona showpiece encounter finish goalless after 120 minutes.
Taylor, who was standing in for the suspended Roger de Sa, admits they were disappointed not to have lifted the trophy, but insists there are plenty of positives to take from their run to the final, which included previous scalps of SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits.
"It's not nice losing a final, especially on penalties, but we did well," Taylor said after the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium clash.
"We showed a lot of character, a lot of drive and a lot of hunger, but at the end of the day, we were just one kick away… and we've got the silver medal."
He continued: "We can't complain, we've had a fairytale run to the final - we had ten of the outfield players from the academy, 15 of the 18 in the squad are from the academy, so these players are going to play in a lot more finals.
"We walk away losers, but I think we walk away winners too, because they've gained such a lot from this experience, so it bodes well for the future.
"They want to win something, they are hungry, and the fact that they play for each other, you can just see that there's a lot of unity and pride there, so as coaches we cannot ask for more."
