JAMES Meredith admits it will be a long wait for City to avenge their play-off heartache.

The experienced left back was one of the most consistent performers in his fourth season at Valley Parade.

Meredith played 47 times – only skipper Stephen Darby, Tony McMahon and keeper Ben Williams appeared in more matches.

He was a fixture in a back four that set a new club record with 22 league clean sheets.

But there is still a huge pang of regret that City could not see the job through by making the jump to the Championship.

Meredith reckons they were good enough – and that’s what will hurt the most.

He said: “It’s a great club with a fantastic fan-base and we had good players with the ability to go up.

“I fancied us against anyone in the play-offs. But that first half against Millwall in the first game wasn’t us and that cost us.

“It's become a long, hard summer and none of us wanted that.

“It was still a good season, looking back, and we finished in a good position. But it was a big shame that we fell short.”