KEVIN AUSTIN held his hands up and admitted his mistake sent Swansea sliding towards their first-round FA Cup upset.
But the big Swans defender insisted the 2-0 defeat at Stockport was "not the end of the world" and would not damage confidence going into Saturday's top-of-the-table League One clash at Southend.
"It was extremely disappointing - probably our worst performance of the season," Austin said of Swansea's abject Edgeley Park display.
"Stockport were better than us from start to finish. They put us under a lot of pressure, got the ball in our faces all the time, and we just didn't match them.
"I suppose something like this was bound to happen as things had been going really well for us.
"I don't think we took victory for granted, though. We knew it was going to be a tough game.
"What we failed to do was relax and play our normal game.
"It was just one of those days where you can't really put your finger on what went wrong."
But Austin added, "All the best teams in the world have setbacks and we've had one here. It's not the end of the world.
"We've just got to make sure we get ourselves up for the Southend game. If you can't be up for a game against the league leaders there must be something wrong.
"Defeat at Stockport was hardly a confidence booster, but we can draw strength from our league performances.
"We've lost the game and not played at our best, but you can't go through the season winning every single match."
Boss Kenny Jackett will sit down with his players today to assess where his side came unstuck, but you could understand Austin not wanting to spend long dwelling on an inept Swans display.
The 32-year-old defender took the rap for Stockport's 41st-minute opener as he sloppily conceded possession to Jermaine Easter on the edge of the Swans area, giving the striker a clear run at Willy Gueret's goal.
"I have to blame myself for the first goal," admitted the former Bristol Rovers man. "It was blatantly my fault. I made a bit of a hash of it. I just didn't see the player coming in.
"And in the case of Stockport's second goal, we should have dealt with it as a back four.
"We attack as a team and we defend as a team. You've got to look at everyone in a way."
Austin knows there will have to be a big improvement if Swansea are to prosper at a ground where they lost 4-2 last term.
"We'll make sure there is a better performance at Southend," he said.
"I don't see the big deal in us going down there and trying to get a result. It's not impossible.
"We didn't play well at Southend last season, but we've learnt from that.
"We know we can go there and win this time."