THE WORDS of the Newport Gwent Dragons chief executive came to mind when Glamorgan fell short in their bid for the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20.

Chris Brown’s mantra at Rodney Parade has been about making the region “sustainable and competitive”, achieving the former last season but not the latter.

Glamorgan are pretty similar to the Dragons; in recent years they’ve improved their facilities but have struggled to make an impact on the pitch.

That has presented a chicken and egg scenario – spending more on the team would bring in bigger crowds and more money but funds need to be spent on facilities in order to have the financial clout for a good team.

The close season signs are encouraging for a brighter season at Rodney Parade and as frustrating as Glam’s finish in the t20 was, things are also looking up at the Swalec Stadium.

To come so close to a quarter-final place and fall short is galling and the stats don’t make pretty reading – after winning their first four games just two wins from six were needed to make the knockout stages. They did a Devon Loch and managed one.

But before anybody piles into Matthew Mott and his side accusing them of choking, think of 2012.

Glamorgan were poor in pyjamas and were never even in contention for qualification for knockout cricket.

This year they tick Brown’s requirement for being competitive, and not just in T20.

The Yorkshire Bank 40 is still very much alive and if Glamorgan can beat Group C leaders Somerset on August 12 then they are right in the mix for the semi-finals.

As gut-wrenching as Tuesday’s loss to Gloucestershire was, it’s not all doom and gloom in Cardiff.

Glamorgan have been pretty good in one-day cricket this year and there have been some sizeable crowds at the Swalec Stadium.

The trophy cabinet may not need opening come Septem-ber, but at least they’ve been in the mix rather than playing dead rubbers.