Bermuda's bid to be in the football World Cup ended on Sunday night, but the players and the Bermuda community can keep their heads held high, as this tiny country took mighty Trinidad and Tobago to the limit.

Leaving aside a possible appeal of the result due to one serious refereeing error, a highly controversial second goal was the difference between Bermuda going through to the next round.

No doubt coach Kenny Thompson and his players will be tempted to rue that goal, which many felt should have been disallowed. But the nature of football, and sport in general, is that there will be times when decisions and refereeing mistakes go against you.

What the team can and should do is use this performance as a foundation for the future. Bermuda has shown it can keep up with one of the best teams in the Caribbean, although no one would deny that Bermuda can still improve.

It's been said before that Bermuda cannot afford to let the momentum from this World Cup run slip; more fixtures and keeping this talented squad together is crucial. On that note, it is also important for the Bermuda Football Association to keep in sync with the Bermuda Hogges, who many feel have helped – without taking anything away from the national team coaches – to raise the overall standard of Bermuda's top footballers.

For now, we should all be proud of the Bermuda national team. The players should take a moment to savour a brave effort, and then get back to work – there is still plenty to do.