The Potters star took a tumble just 14 seconds into the second half of an FA Cup quarter-final at the Britannia Stadium. Etherington was criticised at the time for taking a dive, with there appearing to be little contact made by Hammers midfielder Scott Parker. He insists there was enough to send him over, though, with the Potters deserving a slice of good luck after Frederic Piquionne appeared to control the ball with his arm before grabbing a leveller for the visitors. "I felt contact at the time," Etherington told The Sentinel. "At that stage of the game, and after their goal appeared to be a handball, it looked as though the ref was going to give us something. "But I'm not a player who dives. If people want to have a go at me, it's water off a duck's back because I know I felt contact. "And I missed the penalty, so it had no bearing on the game anyway." Etherington, who saw his spot kick saved by Robert Green, was let off the hook as Danny Higginbotham went on to grab a winner for Stoke and book them a day out at Wembley in the semi-finals. He insists he will be happy to step up again in the future, though, with his record from 12 yards still making for impressive reading. Etherington added: "I had half an idea Robert Green would go to the right, so I was going to put it to the left. But I changed my mind in the run-up and went right. "I'd scored my previous four, so I was bound to miss one. I was trying not to let it affect me during the game, but if we'd gone on to lose the game I wouldn't have got much sleep that night. "We will see if I take the next one, but I'm more than happy to do so."
