Shaka Hislop says his team mates must put the defeat by Reading out
of their minds - and think about picking up the first win of the
season this weekend.
The former Reading keeper says of the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides:
"We should have won the game within the 90 minutes as the Premiership club.
"Then it goes to 1'20" and it still didn't happen, and once it went to penalty kicks it was like the toss of a coin, a lottery.
"Five out of the seven were good penalties tucked quite neatly into the corner.
"The first one hit the post, hit me on the shoulder and went in, and I think that epitomised our luck on the day.
"But you have to take these things on the chin and bounce back."
The main thing, he feels, is to do so in a positive fashion.
Says Shaka, who got a good reception from his former fans on Tuesday night:
"Every year we come into this competition and we say the same things.
"We have our expectations but we have continued to repeat ourselves.
"It is disappointing not only how we went out - but who we went out to.
"That was the most realistic route to Europe, and it has been snatched away from us - qualifying for Europe in the league is difficult when you look at the money that other teams are spending.
"The FA Cup is a long way away so now we really have to get going in the league and focus on that."
How difficult will that be for him?
"Quite easy - it is behind me already; I am focused on Middlesbrough, and getting a clean sheet, which is the most important thing in my mind.
"That was just a minor hiccup and by the time I went to sleep I had forgotten it."
Shaka is hoping the same can be said of Jermain Defoe, whose penalty miss on the fifth spot kick lead to a sudden death situation which saw Reading come out on top.
"Jermain is a tremendously talented young fellow and I'm sure he will bounce back," says Shaka, who had a quiet word with him afterwards.
"I don't think it will worry him; I certainly hope it won't worry him any.
"Every striker misses penalties at key moments, and Jermain is no different.
"He is a world class striker in his own right and it is only a matter of time before people realise that.
"But it is all part of growing up and becoming a top class forward.
"He doesn't deserve to be down and have the whole world resting on his shoulders as some people are making out."
The former Reading keeper says of the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides:
"We should have won the game within the 90 minutes as the Premiership club.
"Then it goes to 1'20" and it still didn't happen, and once it went to penalty kicks it was like the toss of a coin, a lottery.
"Five out of the seven were good penalties tucked quite neatly into the corner.
"The first one hit the post, hit me on the shoulder and went in, and I think that epitomised our luck on the day.
"But you have to take these things on the chin and bounce back."
The main thing, he feels, is to do so in a positive fashion.
Says Shaka, who got a good reception from his former fans on Tuesday night:
"Every year we come into this competition and we say the same things.
"We have our expectations but we have continued to repeat ourselves.
"It is disappointing not only how we went out - but who we went out to.
"That was the most realistic route to Europe, and it has been snatched away from us - qualifying for Europe in the league is difficult when you look at the money that other teams are spending.
"The FA Cup is a long way away so now we really have to get going in the league and focus on that."
How difficult will that be for him?
"Quite easy - it is behind me already; I am focused on Middlesbrough, and getting a clean sheet, which is the most important thing in my mind.
"That was just a minor hiccup and by the time I went to sleep I had forgotten it."
Shaka is hoping the same can be said of Jermain Defoe, whose penalty miss on the fifth spot kick lead to a sudden death situation which saw Reading come out on top.
"Jermain is a tremendously talented young fellow and I'm sure he will bounce back," says Shaka, who had a quiet word with him afterwards.
"I don't think it will worry him; I certainly hope it won't worry him any.
"Every striker misses penalties at key moments, and Jermain is no different.
"He is a world class striker in his own right and it is only a matter of time before people realise that.
"But it is all part of growing up and becoming a top class forward.
"He doesn't deserve to be down and have the whole world resting on his shoulders as some people are making out."