Angus MacDonald expressed his deep disappointment after missing a crucial penalty in Exeter City's FA Cup fourth-round shootout defeat to Nottingham Forest, following a thrilling 2-2 draw that extended into extra time.
The League One side put up a remarkable fight against their Premier League opponents, who currently sit third in the top flight. Despite playing with 10 men for over 30 minutes following Ed Turns' 87th-minute dismissal, Exeter managed to hold Forest to a draw, forcing the game into penalties.
MacDonald, making his debut for Exeter after joining on transfer deadline day, saw his penalty strike the crossbar during the shootout, which Forest ultimately won 4-2. "I'm obviously gutted," MacDonald told BBC Sport. "No-one ever wants to miss a penalty, no-one ever does it on purpose."
The defender, who has traditionally been confident in penalty situations, added, "I've always been one to put myself forward in a shootout - I always feel like I probably can step up and take a penalty. To miss, obviously I'm not going to forget about it for a little while, but it's one that I think we all need to sort of forget about, take the positives from the game tonight and take that into the league and I'm sure we'll be absolutely fine."
The match showcased Exeter's resilience as they successfully contained Forest's attacking threats, even as the Premier League side introduced impactful substitutes including Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Elliot Anderson. The home team's determination was particularly evident in extra time, when striker Josh Magennis and winger Ilmari Niskanen were forced to fill in as makeshift central defenders.
Exeter manager Gary Caldwell praised his team's performance and highlighted the special nature of the club. "When we wake up tomorrow we've got so many positives that we can take moving forward," he said to BBC Sport. "What we do in terms of the supporter ownership model is remarkable. The league we're competing in, to do what we did tonight against a Premier League team, a full house, people backing their team, getting behind the team - I think it's a special football club and I think it's a football club with a great future."
Caldwell acknowledged the disappointment of the loss but emphasized the broader significance of the performance. "I will always be disappointed to lose, but sometimes in football you can gain more from what we did today in terms of showing the club off. The supporters' behavior was incredible - the support they gave the team was incredible and the team responded."
