I messed up the soldering and removed a solder pad. Following advice from iFixIt Thread Here, I used a short wire to...

Problem: I was de-soldering the original Apple battery but due to excess/lack of heat and too much force, one of the three...

You simply need to obtain a new digitizer. Replacing it is a pretty simple process. iPod Touch 3rd Generation Front Panel Replacement You can find cheaper digitizers on eBay and the like, though.