The Bristol City midfielder arrived back in Sydney this morning before catching a connecting flight to Brisbane to join the Socceroos camp.

It is just three days since his club side lost 1-0 to Hull City in the Championship play-off final, condemning Carle and the Robins to another year in the second tier of English football.

More than 24 hours on a plane from England has done little to ease the anguish of missing out on a place in next season's Premier League but Carle is happy to have something positive to focus on.

Speaking exclusively to au.fourfourtwo.com in the arrivals hall at Sydney Airport this morning, Carle said: "I'm still terribly disappointed. It was the biggest game of my career and I ended up losing it.

"It was a great goal they scored, good enough to settle any match but that's no consolation. I felt we were on top for the first 20 minutes but I think the turning point was losing our player Bradley Orr with a broken cheekbone. But it's about scoring goals and we couldn't find one.

"It could have been such a big step, going into the Premier League. Still, as the coach (Gary Johnson) told us, we have to give ourselves time to get over it and then come back raring to go and achieve it next year."

Carle has vowed not to let his disappointment spill over into his international duties though and he is looking forward to a busy month of World Cup qualifiers.

He said: "Now it's all about focusing on these massive games for my country. These are World Cup qualifiers and I'll be switched on and ready for the challenges ahead.

"I've heard there might be an issue with the games against Iraq but I'm sure I'll be brought up to speed when I get into camp."

While Carle's Premier League dream is over, he revealed he had congratulated Hull City's Aussie Richard Garcia.

"He did really well and I'm happy for him," he said. "I've played with him in the Olympic team and always thought really highly of him."