The Oluyole Warriors defeated Sporting Lagos 1-0 in their final game of the season on Sunday.
The Ibadan club however missed out on a place on the continent despite the win finishing fourth on the table.
Lawal said it was so sad the efforts to seal a continental ticket did not yield.
“I believe we did our best to get the ticket to the continent but it was painful. We couldn’t get it despite fighting till the last day of the season,” he told the club’s media.
“I wept immediately I discovered we didn’t make it. It’s been a long time that I felt so sad but I must praise you for your commitment and doggedness, even though I still believe that little mistakes cost us our main target.”
Written by Mike Oyebola