"It is a home game and there is expectation on us so we want to play well; no disrespect to Southend but we want a good win," he says.
"We want to win every game we play; some people say it was a distraction playing the likes of Wolves in the cup last year when we had to keep changing the team because the players were cup-tied but I don't agree.
"The more games you win the more confidence you get and the main priority is the Championship but you always want to go as far as you can in the cups.
"It is only six or seven games to win and we are like everyone else - we want medals and we wouldn't enter the competition if we weren't doing our best to win it.
It is West Ham's third game at home and, looking back on the previous two, he says:
"We were decent against Reading but abysmal against Wigan."
Peter hopes for more from Adam Nowland after his start at the weekend and he says:
"That is his best performance but now it is a case of adding to that and doing it week in, week out.
"You have to be at your best to play for this club - as was shown when we weren't against Wigan.
"You have to make it impossible for the manager not to select you again but too often we are playing well one week and not the next.
"On Saturday there were a lot of good performances but we should have killed the game earlier."
Elliott Ward, Danny Bunce and Richard Garcia are added to the party for the game.
Squad: Bywater, Walker, Ward, Repka, Brevett, Rebrov, Reo-Coker, Ferdinand, Blewitt, Garcia, Mullins, Sheringham, Nowland, Etherington, Chadwick, Cohen, Harewood, McClenahan, Noble and Bunce