SWINDON Town head coach Ben Garner said Friday night’s FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester City was “for the fans” and hopes everyone enjoyed “a fantastic night for the club.”

On the pitch, Swindon could take solace from the fact Harry McKirdy netted a fine goal late on after Lewis Ward had kept out a Gabriel Jesus penalty in the second half.

Unfortunately, in terms of Town providing arguably the greatest Cup shock ever, the damage was already done thanks to goals from Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, and Ilkay Gundogan.

Highly-talented youngster Cole Palmer also bagged the pick of the goals in the dying moments to cap off a 4-1 victory for the Premier League champions.

Nevertheless, Garner believed it was a particularly enjoyable night for everyone concerned – especially the fans and staff members who had very little to cheer about this time last year.

Garner said: “It was a fantastic night for the club. I think the most important thing was the supporters and all those people who have gone through those tough times – that night was for them.

“To go through those tough times and come here tonight and watch us play against the Premier League champions, it was about them. It was about those people.

“I’d have liked it to have been closer if we could, but that’s tough to do against a team of that calibre.

“I’m proud of the players anyway, and hopefully that was a night that all of the supporters and the staff thoroughly enjoyed.”

Prior to the game, the Town boss said his team would stick to their principles and try to be brave on the ball – something they did to a fault at times.

Garner admitted his players didn’t execute the game plan as efficiently as he would have liked, but that there were justifiable circumstances that meant he was willing to accept mistakes.

He said: “I felt we were ourselves and played the way we wanted to. It’s very, very difficult against a side like that, but I won’t be too critical of the players.

“We could have passed the ball better than we did, but I understand the atmosphere, the occasion, the crowd, and competing against that team. They press so well, they make it really difficult when you do get the ball.

“In spells, I thought we passed it really, really well. I’d have liked to have seen that a bit more, but overall I’m really happy with the performance and effort of the players.”