Head coach Mike Ford believes Bath Rugby can still make this season a success after their heart-breaking LV= Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of local rivals Exeter Chiefs.
Bath seemed in control of the contest after building up an eight-point lead early in the second half only to be stunned by tries from Luke Arscott and Fetu'u Vainikolo in the space of seven minutes as Exeter turned the game around to triumph 22-19.
Leroy Houston and Arscott had earlier traded first-half scores in an end-to-end encounter at The Rec, while Bath fly-half Tom Heathcote missed the chance to send the game into extra-time when his long-range penalty dropped short with the last kick of the match.
The result means Bath have now lost in the last-four of this competition three years in a row and it is Chiefs who have the chance to lift the first silverware of the season in next Sunday's final against Northampton Saints.
Bath are still in a strong position to qualify for the Aviva Premiership play-offs and also have a home Amlin Cup quarter-final against French side Brive to look forward to next month, meaning Ford refused to be too downbeat.
Ford said: "We were good enough to win. The scoreboard at half-time was false and we had a load of opportunities to create more pressure and score more points but we didn't take them.
"I think we got a bit giddy out there at times and we weren't able to control the ball at crucial periods.
"They came out in the second half and scored two individual tries which put them on the front foot, but we still nearly found a way to get a draw at the end with a lineout penalty.
"It's not too despondent. We've still got a lot to play for with the Amlin Cup and the Premiership.
"We'll regroup. We're going to have a week off now which will be great for the boys to get over the knocks and bruises and mentally get prepared for what's coming. There's still a lot to play for this year."
Bath return to action in a fortnight's time when they resume their quest for a top-four finish in the Premiership. They are currently third in the table and face a trip to tenth-placed London Irish next up.
