Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert admitted his side had blown a golden chance to reach a Wembley final after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Bradford City in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup.
Villa looked like pegging back the League Two side's 3-1 lead from the first leg when Christian Benteke scored in the 24th minute at Villa Park.
The hosts dominated the first half but James Hanson equalised on 55 minutes and Bradford held on in a tense finish after Andreas Weimann's 89th-minute strike.
Lambert said: "I am absolutely gutted, disappointed, hurt, everything.
"Everyone is hurt. You will never have a better chance to get to a cup final throughout your whole career, even the young lads.
"It may take them 10 or 12 years to get even close to one again. That's the hurt.
"I am every bit as hurt as what the fans are. It's my responsibility. I know exactly what it's like and I know exactly what they're feeling because I am feeling the exact same.
"We had two chances to do it and never managed to do it. At 1-0 you think you are going to do it and then we lose it.
"It was a really poor goal from a corner. Over the two games that's four goals from set-pieces which is certainly not good enough."
Bradford fans chanted 'you're getting sacked in the morning' but Lambert is adamant he remains the right man for the job of rebuilding Villa.
He said: "Am I still the man for Villa? Yes, absolutely. There are two ways - you either lie down and take it or you come out fighting. I am certainly not going to lie down."
Lambert will now have to lift his team for Friday's trip to Millwall for an FA Cup fourth round tie.
He added: "We've got another tough game at Millwall on Friday but you have to pick yourselves up and go again."
The 26-year-old joined up with manager Martin Allen and his squad this week, returning to a club where he scored 25 goals in 43 appearances during a hugely successful loan spell back in 2010/11.
McDonald, who has netted seven goals in his 39 appearances for the Sky Blues since his transfer from Norwich in 2011, looks set to have his loan move completed before the Gills' match with York this weekend.
