Sam Baldock has vowed to bounce back after his penalty miss contributed to West Ham United's 1-0 FA Cup with Budweiser third-round defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
The striker saw his 53rd-minute spot-kick turned aside by Owls goalkeeper Nicky Weaver before Chris O'Grady compounded his misery with a winning goal two minutes from full-time.
Baldock also saw a rasping low drive diverted on to the inside of the post by the inspired Weaver as the Hammers suffered a disappointing exit at Hillsborough on Sunday.
"I've seen the penalty back and it was a good save but that's no real excuse," the No7 told West Ham TV. "The important thing is how I respond from it. The spotlight is going to be on me now to see how I bounce back but I've been through it before like most strikers and I'm not going to let it phase me.
"He has done quite well, to be fair, especially against me! He has managed to get something on that shot and diverted it on to the post. It's disappointing not to have scored at least one on the day."
Baldock's penalty disapppointment was in stark contrast to the joy he felt at completing his first 90 minutes since the 1-0 npower Championship defeat at Southampton on 18 October. The up-and-down nature of the striker's day summed up an afternoon that could easily have turned out differently for the Hammers.
"That's football. That's why the fans love it so much and why people pay to watch it. Yes, it was an eventful game and I think we were unfortunate not to find ourselves in the hat for the fourth round.
"I'm quite pleased with the fact I came through the whole game, but the only thing I can think about at the minute is the penalty. I got 100 minutes under my belt, which is the first time I've completed a game since my injury so that's pleasing.
"They asked me a couple of times how I was feeling and I said I was fine and I wanted to carry on."
It may be an overused cliché in football, but Baldock and his team-mates now have no choice but to concentrate on their league campaign. With a little less than half of their 46 league matches still to play, West Ham sit second in the npower Championship table, behind leaders Southampton only on goal difference.
The 22-year-old vowed to channel all of his energies to helping the Hammers achieve their goal of reaching the Premier League come the season's end.
"I must say it's the angle I'm going to be coming from, at least!" he said. "The plan is to go back on the training pitch and to pick up three points at Portsmouth on Saturday. We've got a few players to come back who we missed on Sunday so I look forward to seeing them. We've got a stronger squad to choose from than we've had in recent weeks.
"The fans inspire us. They out-sing every home crowd and it's great to have them at every away game. Sunday wasn't the ideal result but next week we can repay them."