Jermain Defoe is laughing off suggestions that he will be adversely
affected by his penalty miss on Tuesday night.
"I was quite upset at the time," he admits, "but I'm not going to dwell on it and I'm looking forward to the next game.
"There's other games coming up in football so there is no point worrying about it."
The reaction of his colleagues to the miss has certainly helped.
He reveals:
"The lads said 'don't worry about it, you'll take more important penalties than in the Worthington Cup in your career.'
"The manager said 'it is not the mistake, it is how you react to it.'"
A week ago, to use the cliche, Jermain seemed to have the world at his feet.
A start - and another goal - for England U21s against Albania was fresh in his mind, and he got another chance to show what he could do as a sub at Derby.
Unfortunately, a miss when he broke through late in that game, followed by the penalty miss this week, has reminded him not everything is going his way.
"They say there are more downs than ups in football, they used to tell us that all the time when I was at Lilleshall," he says.
"That's how football is; one minute everything is going well and the next everything can turn around.
"You never know what is going to happen but I will just keep on doing the same thing, working hard in training and getting my head down."
Of the spot kick failure, he says:
"I was confident going up to the penalty; I knew where I was going to put it because I put it there all the time.
"Unfortunately I got a little bit too much on it, whereas Scott Minto went through the middle, but he didn't get it high enough.
"I felt all right as I jogged up to take it; I'd even said in the hotel I knew what I was going to do if it went to penalties.
"I watched the keeper's legs and I sent him the wrong way, but I couldn't believe it when I hit the post."
Taking the fifth penalty, at the away end as well, added to the pressure but Jermain says:
"He said 'do you want to go last', and I said 'yes, I don't mind that.'
"I suppose it did make it harder, you see everyone trying to put you off, but you try and keep it out of your mind.
"Scott was distraught afterwards but he is a senior pro and I think he has got over that now.
"You never know, the next game you could score two and all this would be forgotten."
Of the match overall, he says:
"I thought we played well; it would have been nice to win, and when it went to penalties I thought 'yes, we have got this.'
"The first 20 minutes I felt I was doing well but in the second half I didn't really feel myself, I got a little bit tired and my legs got heavy - I don't know why.
"Extra time was tough but I thought we could have won it."
He hopes to make amends on Saturday - and says he would have no hesitation taking a penalty if he had to.
"It would be great to start at Middlesbrough - it would be another game to put it right.
"We don't know what is going on at Middlesbrough, if Paolo is going to play; if there is another penalty I'd take one.
"But I don't think Paolo would give it to me!"
With West Ham yet to score a goal in open play, the need to get off the mark is paramount, and Jermain adds:
"Once we get the first one out the way, even if it is a ricochet, I think we will be OK and we will start scoring.
"We have to play like we have been, keep a clean sheet, and get a goal."
But he cannot fathom out the Hammers' poor record against lower league sides in the cups in recent years.
"I'm not too sure why it is," he admits, "a lot of people say the big boys don't fancy it but I don't think it is that.
"I really can't answer that question - it just isn't meant to be.
"But if we win something this year we will look back at that game and laugh about it.
"It's early in the season and we can only get better as a team."
"I was quite upset at the time," he admits, "but I'm not going to dwell on it and I'm looking forward to the next game.
"There's other games coming up in football so there is no point worrying about it."
The reaction of his colleagues to the miss has certainly helped.
He reveals:
"The lads said 'don't worry about it, you'll take more important penalties than in the Worthington Cup in your career.'
"The manager said 'it is not the mistake, it is how you react to it.'"
A week ago, to use the cliche, Jermain seemed to have the world at his feet.
A start - and another goal - for England U21s against Albania was fresh in his mind, and he got another chance to show what he could do as a sub at Derby.
Unfortunately, a miss when he broke through late in that game, followed by the penalty miss this week, has reminded him not everything is going his way.
"They say there are more downs than ups in football, they used to tell us that all the time when I was at Lilleshall," he says.
"That's how football is; one minute everything is going well and the next everything can turn around.
"You never know what is going to happen but I will just keep on doing the same thing, working hard in training and getting my head down."
Of the spot kick failure, he says:
"I was confident going up to the penalty; I knew where I was going to put it because I put it there all the time.
"Unfortunately I got a little bit too much on it, whereas Scott Minto went through the middle, but he didn't get it high enough.
"I felt all right as I jogged up to take it; I'd even said in the hotel I knew what I was going to do if it went to penalties.
"I watched the keeper's legs and I sent him the wrong way, but I couldn't believe it when I hit the post."
Taking the fifth penalty, at the away end as well, added to the pressure but Jermain says:
"He said 'do you want to go last', and I said 'yes, I don't mind that.'
"I suppose it did make it harder, you see everyone trying to put you off, but you try and keep it out of your mind.
"Scott was distraught afterwards but he is a senior pro and I think he has got over that now.
"You never know, the next game you could score two and all this would be forgotten."
Of the match overall, he says:
"I thought we played well; it would have been nice to win, and when it went to penalties I thought 'yes, we have got this.'
"The first 20 minutes I felt I was doing well but in the second half I didn't really feel myself, I got a little bit tired and my legs got heavy - I don't know why.
"Extra time was tough but I thought we could have won it."
He hopes to make amends on Saturday - and says he would have no hesitation taking a penalty if he had to.
"It would be great to start at Middlesbrough - it would be another game to put it right.
"We don't know what is going on at Middlesbrough, if Paolo is going to play; if there is another penalty I'd take one.
"But I don't think Paolo would give it to me!"
With West Ham yet to score a goal in open play, the need to get off the mark is paramount, and Jermain adds:
"Once we get the first one out the way, even if it is a ricochet, I think we will be OK and we will start scoring.
"We have to play like we have been, keep a clean sheet, and get a goal."
But he cannot fathom out the Hammers' poor record against lower league sides in the cups in recent years.
"I'm not too sure why it is," he admits, "a lot of people say the big boys don't fancy it but I don't think it is that.
"I really can't answer that question - it just isn't meant to be.
"But if we win something this year we will look back at that game and laugh about it.
"It's early in the season and we can only get better as a team."