Hyde United manager Darren Kelly took the positives as his side were knocked out of the Manchester FA Premier Cup with a 3-2 defeat away at Curzon Ashton on Monday night.

Hyde led just before the half hour through Matty Hughes’ header from a corner before Curzon equalised two minutes later when Jonathan Hunt bundled home.

Ryan Brooke and Joe Guest netted after the break for the hosts at a chilly Tameside Stadium prior to David Brown creating a nervy finish when he pulled one back for the Tigers with 10 minutes left.

And speaking to Manchester FA after the defeat, Northern Irishman Kelly was proud of his young players despite them bowing out.

Kelly said: “I thought it was a good game, I thought in terms of ourselves we were excellent.

“We had a lot of young lads in there, I thought they were exceptional, again it can be always difficult putting these young lads in, asking them to play out of position but as I said, I thought they were fantastic.

“It was two good teams giving it a good go and we were very unlucky not to come away with a result.”

The visitors took the lead on 29 minutes when Hughes rose highest following a corner from the right to plant his header beyond goalkeeper Ben Purdham.

But John Flanagan’s Nash pegged their opponents back almost immediately, levelling on 31 minutes when Hunt profited from a loose ball in the penalty area to poke home from six-yards.

Curzon later had first half openings when Adam Morgan burst through on goal one-on-one with stopper Hodges who valiantly thwarted the striker’s effort from close-range before Connor Hughes drilled wide.