Paul Hurst admitted he could scarcely believe it after Grimsby‘s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round giant-killing over Sky Bet Championship high-flyers Luton.
The League Two Mariners stunned their second-tier opponents, who sit 60 places above them, with first-half goals from Harry Clifton, Danilo Orsi and Danny Amos.
And victory secured Hurst’s side a spot in the last 16, where they travel to Premier League Southampton, for the first time since 1996.
“That is what dreams are made of,” beamed Hurst, who never reached the fifth round as a player.
“If anyone would have genuinely told me they thought that would be the score I’d have told them they need to seek help.
“It was a very surreal feeling to have that advantage at half-time.
“I was genuinely thinking the game wasn’t over. I was really pleased that we managed to keep a clean sheet.
“It was only when the board went up for added time that I thought ‘we might just see this through’.
“It’s a special evening for the football club. This place is amazing when it’s rocking, they’re loud and proud and this was for them.
“I don’t know how many years ago the fifth round was, but it’s a fantastic achievement.
“We haven’t done it the easy way. We started the run off against League One Plymouth who were flying at the time and now a Championship team after a replay.”
Hatters boss Rob Edwards said: “It was three really disappointing goals to concede in the first half.
“To concede from two throw-ins and a free-kick, areas we spoke about after the first game, and certainly prepared for this game as well.
“They were very ruthless in front of goal from those areas. Every credit because they deserved it on the night and we didn’t.
“We expected them to come out like that and we knew what was coming. That’s the most disappointing and infuriating thing.
“We spoke about matching that and competing in the basics and they did that better than us, especially in those moments.
“To concede those goals the way we did, they were very poor goals from our point of view.
“It’s something we’ve got to learn from quickly.
“We needed a goal to get back into the game, we searched and we tried but it didn’t come.”
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