Northampton Town manager Keith Curle said it has been a week of mixed emotions.
After the high of winning at Wembley on Monday, Curle has had the difficult task of telling the squad which players will and won't be offered new contracts, and he says that is not a part of the job he enjoys, but it is a responsibility he takes very seriously.
"I went home after the game on Monday, had a hot chocolate and watched the game back," he said.
"I was still nervous when the whistle went watching it back!
"I wanted to see the celebrations again and I was very proud of how the club and the players conducted themselves. It showed what it meant to everyone and it was great to see.
"Watching the game back, I did see things that I didn't see first time and I was pleased to see some of the things we work on in training come off.
"It is a cruel part of football to have to release players so soon after the end of the season. But I have always said that we don't sort contracts out during the season, we wait until the end of the season and that is what we have done. I think we owe it to the players to make those decisions quickly and give them the best opportunity to get fixed up.
"As a manager it is an emotional time. You get an attachment to the players and you feel bad because you get them to buy in to your plan and now I am saying to them their journey must continue elsewhere. We get to know the players personally, we put demands on them and the players have been a credit to themselves and this football club and we wish everyone well.
"Releasing players is never an easy day and they are never easy conversations to have."