Braintree Town's dreams of making the play-offs were shattered at the Amlin Stadium on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw against confirmed play-off contenders Grimsby Town.
They needed to beat the Mariners and hoped that rival play-off contenders Gateshead lost at home to Cambridge Utd but they won 2-0 leaving the Iron in sixth place, their highest since promotion three years ago.
But although Iron manager Alan Devonshire was delighted at his side's final league spot he was disappointed they didn't make the play-offs adding: "I felt we could have done it but it's fantastic for the players and everyone at the club to have achieved sixth place and proves what a decent, young side we are.
"What killed us really was being forced by the league to play three games in a week and with such a small squad of part-timers and physically and mentally it took its toll on players.
"But I'm proud of what they've done and I felt we should have won it today because we had so many chances in the second half."
Late on the Iron laid siege to the visitors' goal and chances went begging with young substitute Jordan Cox missing three gilt-edge opportunities while similar efforts from Sean Marks, James Mulley and Chez Issac were all wasted.
In the final flurry it was left to Mariners' keeper Jonathan Edge to three times make last-gasp goalline saves to save his side a point and with news filtering through that Gateshead had gone two goals up left home fans in the 1,489 crowd - the second highest of the season at the Amlin - knowing their side would not make the play-offs.
Earlier in the game Iron keeper Nick Hamann had pulled off fine saves from Alex Rodman and Craig Disley while in the first few minutes of the game a Dan Sparkes free-kick narrowly missed the target while Marks could have given the Iron an early lead when unmarked in the six-yard box he somehow headed over a Sparkes left-wing cross.
But despite all their late pressure on the visitors' goal the Iron failed to make the breakthrough needed and the Mariners, who had six players booked in the game, now go through to ironically meet Gateshead in Wednesday's first left play-off.
Devonshire added: "Defensively we're fine but need to find a bit more cutting edge up front to take some of the many chances we have created over the season."
