Dave Jones has warned told his Cardiff City side not to mope about their south Wales derby defeat and let it ruin their Premier League promotion push.
Jones was furious at Cardiff's woeful defending as Swansea City claimed the bragging rights with a 3-2 win.
Cardiff's deficit from second-place West Brom has slipped to four points after their first defeat in seven.
Bluebirds boss Jones said: "It hurts as we lost a match but it's not the end of the world. We're still a decent side."
Jones said he and his Cardiff side expect a "character assassination" following their humbling by their fiercest rivals at the Liberty Stadium as Swansea extended as unbeaten run in the derby to eight games.
Cardiff remain in joint third place on 27 points - the same tally as Queens Park Rangers, Blackpool and Leicester - in the table.
Jones has told Bluebirds fans not to get too down after their derby day blues and let one defeat ruin their otherwise impressive start to the season.
"It just hurts a little bit more because it is a derby," said Jones.
"But I'm no more disappointed because it is a derby, it is just the bragging rights have gone to them.
"Because it is derby people will get carried away but we must be bigger and braver and bounce back. If we let it fester we won't win anything."
Jones' Cardiff lacked creativity and a cutting edge at the Liberty Stadium top-scorers Michael Chopra and winger Peter Whittingham - who have scored 24 goals between them.
A thigh problem forced midfield playmaker Stephen McPhail to join injured winger Whittingham and suspended striker Chopra on the sidelines for the all-Wales Championship showdown.
Full-back Tony Capaldi filled in as a makeshift left-winger for Whittingham, battling midfielder Gavin Rae replaced McPhail and last season's top-scorer Ross McCormack was in for Chopra.
But Jones conceded that Cardiff missed their influential trio as he pointed-out: "Whittingham and McPhail are our creators in that midfield and the lads that came in will do a job.
"We did have that creativity and that is nothing to do with the players that came in as they are not that type of player."
Jones' team must agonise over their derby hurt until Saturday week when Cardiff visit struggling Barnsley, a team they have not lost to in eight meetings.
606: DEBATE" After Saturday's game it is so apparent we lack strength in the midfield "
The Bluebirds, though, must try to stem to flow of goals conceded as their defence has shipped seven goals in three games and have the worse backline in the top ten.
"We let in sloppy goals which we have been doing all season," admitted striker Jay Bothroyd. "And it is something we must work on."
And Jones added: "The three goals we gave away were dreadful from our standards and what we expect.
"We allowed the smallest man on pitch to score from a set play with a header in the six-yard box and that is unacceptable and wouldn't have happened if people had done their job.
"But when we defend, we defend as a team so people must stop balls coming into the box."
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