Morecambe manager Derek Adams felt his side did all they could to stay up after a 3-2 defeat at Exeter saw the Shrimps condemned to relegation from League One.
After a dire first half, Jay Stansfield put Exeter in front, only for Cole Stockton to equalise and give Morecambe hope of staying up.
But Stansfield dashed those hopes with two more to complete his hat-trick before Stockton’s consolation strike, deep into 14 minutes of stoppage time.
“We needed to try and win today and it was 0-0 at half-time,” Adams said. “We knew Cambridge were 2-0 up so it meant we definitely needed to win the game.
“We tried our best but they scored a goal early in the second half. We pulled one back but then they got a second. We found it difficult after that because we were chasing the game and there were big holes all over the pitch.
“We took nearly 900 supporters with us today which is fantastic. Not so long ago, we didn’t have 900 home supporters, it is fantastic they have come with us today.
“We had tremendous backing throughout the season. But it is not about losing today, it is over the season. The players have given their best.
“It was cagey in the first half, neither side really threatened the goalkeeper. If we scored a wee bit earlier, we might have been able to pull it back as there was a lot of injury time.
“The players gave everything and worked hard throughout the campaign and we just came up short.”
As for Exeter, the day belonged to Stansfield in was the final game of his loan spell from Fulham.
The 20-year-old celebrated his hat-trick goal by running towards and pointing to the stand that bears his late father’s name in what was a truly emotional moment.
City boss Gary Caldwell said: “Jay is brilliant and I am running out of words to describe him.
“He’s an absolute pleasure to work with and he has had difficult periods in the season where he doesn’t score, but he’s a fantastic team player – he works hard for the team.
“He does all the right things in terms of his preparation and how he trains and that (hat-trick) was well deserved for all of his hard work this season and I am delighted that he had that moment with the supporters inside the stadium.”
On his team’s performance, Caldwell added: “It is always good to win games of football. I thought we were the better team throughout.
“In the first half, I thought the possession was too slow, but we came out with a better intensity, we played much quicker and we scored three brilliant goals.
“I was disappointed with the two goals we conceded and that is an area we definitely have to improve next season but, overall, after the season we have had and the run we’ve been on, I am delighted to finish with a win.”
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace earns hosts Hollywood derby win
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
Reggae Boyz winger Kaheim Dixon completes move to Charlton Athletic
Jamaica’s Kaheim Dixon officially joined Charlton Athletic on a four-year contract, as he was unveiled by the League One club on Friday.
Dixon is now Nathan Jones' eighth summer signing and will wear the number 13 jersey at the London-based club, much like he did at Clarendon College.
The talented winger, who was instrumental in Clarendon College’s two titles in last season’s ISSA schoolboys’ football competition, scoring 32 goals complemented by 17 assists, continued to make a name for himself with Jamaica Premier League (JPL) club Arnett Gardens before eventually breaking into the senior Reggae Boyz setup.
Dixon, 19, was first identified by Charlton Athletic through their partner, Mount Pleasant Football Academy, after which his move from Arnett Gardens, for an undisclosed fee, was then assisted by Charlton Athletic’s strong ties to the Reggae Boyz, according to a release on the club’s website.
This, as Dixon’s Reggae Boy teammate Karoy Anderson is a current member of the club, while another Reggae Boy, Michael Hector, recently left after his contract expired.
Dixon, who has two goals in eight appearances for the Reggae Boyz, expressed delight at his move.
“I’m very happy to be here. My first opportunity to go professional is to be at the Addicks. It’s been very good to see Karoy [Anderson], another teammate from my country. I can’t wait to start playing with him,” he said.
Charlton Athletic have won both League One games played so far this season against Wigan Athletic and Leyton Orient and sit fourth in the table.
They host Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, where Dixon could possibly make a debut appearance.
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