Frank Clark felt Manchester City's frustrating season was summed up by the Uwe Rosler penalty miss that let West Ham off the hook in a rousing FA Cup fourth round tie at Maine Road yesterday.

"We gave it our best shot but if any game summed up our season that was it," groaned Clark. "I don't want to blame Uwe for the miss - there are few players who would have wanted to take it - but you have to hit the target. If the keeper makes a save you hold your hands up but that didn't happen."

Clark felt City had raised their game after the break and did not deserve to bow out.

"We were second best in the first half, but, after the break, we really had a go and in the end didn't deserve to lose.

"We got at them, created chances, and took the game to a side in the top half of the Premiership."

Clark saluted Kinkladze's performance, saying: "He was brilliant, but he has been like that a lot for us this season.

"It was a great goal but he's capable of scoring that sort of effort."

Kinkladze gave up taking penalties for City earlier this season after missing two on the trot.

And Clark said: "Rosler is the designated penalty taker. He took and scored the last one. Geo doesn't want to take them anymore."

West Ham boss Harry Redknapp admitted: "You were frightened every time Kinkladze got the ball. You were just praying it didn't get to him.

"The man's a genius. We didn't have anyone who could man mark him, it would have meant changing our entire system.

"But even when there were people around him he still beat them, so there wasn't much point in putting a man marker on him."

In yesterday's other FA Cup game Stevenage's man of the match Mark Smith said it was a great "thrill" to mark Alan Shearer and praised his teammates as they came back from an early goal to draw 1-1 with Newcastle.

The Stevenage defender said: "We had to show great character to come back from a goal-down and we worked really hard.

"Playing against Alan Shearer was a great thrill but I played it as though it was just another game."

Stevenage boss Paul Fairclough said: "We proved today we can match them. It wasn't a fluke."