JACK CORK admits he felt helpless as Great Britain crashed out of London 2012 Olympics on penalties last night – but he believes a first Premier League campaign with Saints will soften the blow.

Saints midfielder Cork had been restricted to cameo roles during Great Britain’s group stage campaign but in the quarter-final against South Korea he was restricted to a cheerleading role.

In a dull encounter, South Korea deservedly took an early lead when Ji Dong-Won was on target from distance before Aaron Ramsey leveled from the spot.

Just a few minutes later the Arsenal midfielder saw another penalty saved and neither side could break the deadlock with the scores tied at 1-1 after extra time.

Ramsey, Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs and Craig Dawson were all successful from the spot but Daniel Sturridge missed his kick, meaning South Korea prevailed 5-4.

And while 23-year-old Cork confessed he would have loved to be part of the action, he now has the distraction of focusing on Southampton ’s assault on the Premier League.

“It's hard, really. I've been so focused on this, and I wanted us to do really well,” he said.

“But I'll wake up and start thinking about next season in the Premier League. Hopefully I can get my mind set on that and make sure I'm ready for the new season.

“I'm gutted really. I've been enjoying the whole experience, and this is hard on all the lads.

“ It's hard for me because I couldn't do anything about it, but it's harder for them.

“They were all really good penalties. We had some good penalties too, and I think Sturridge got unlucky with his.

“There's not much you can say really. You can't really worry about penalties too much.”

Stuart Pearce was the first to admit that another Great Britain side is unlikely to been seen in the future, revealing the class of 2012 was very much a one-off.

But he remains convinced that every single member of his 18-man squad returns to their clubs better for the experience.

“The experience has been fantastic and all the individuals who contributed go back to their clubs and countries better for it," said Pearce.

“If my experiences of tournament football are anything to go by then things like this make you stronger.

“I’m very proud of my players and what we have achieved in the four-week period we have been together.”