Reserve coach Steve Brown was delighted with the response
of his players after they made it two wins in a row thanks to a 1-0
victory over Watford on Monday night.
"I'm chuffed that we have got the win and, overall, we deserved it," said Steve after Carlton Cole's 25-minute strike had proved the difference against a Hornets side coached by former Hammers defender Malky Mackay.
"I don't try to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, though, and we could quite easily have been two or three goals down in the opening period of the game. They created a number of chances but Jimmy Walker made some fantastic saves and then we took the lead against the run of play - that's how football works sometimes.
"Malky probably would have been scratching his head at half-time, while I knew we were very fortunate to be going in 1-0 up. I had a two-minute rant at the players and asked them to give me a response, and they certainly did that in the second half.
"We created at least five or six very good chances - enough to have won the game comfortably - and were much more competitive in all areas of the field. They created one chance at the end to grab an equaliser, but Jimmy saved us again, and I thought we earned the victory with our second half performance."
Steve was also full of praise for the other senior players who came in, with midfielder Nigel Quashie making a successful return from injury and an experienced back-line earning a second clean sheet in a row.
"It was good to see some of the senior boys get some football under their belts," he said. "And once again, they all showed a first class attitude. Nigel Quashie was only scheduled to play 60 or 70 minutes but did the full 90, while Paul Konchesky was outstanding for us again and John Pantsil also did very well.
"Christian Dailly has just come back from international duty with Scotland, playing against the likes of Italy, but he was ready and willing to give his all for us at Boreham Wood tonight, and that kind of attitude is so valuable at this level.
"The young lads were also fantastic, though, and their work-rate and enthusiasm in the second half were big factors for us. The boys have gained confidence from winning matches and hopefully we can end the season with a bit of a rally."
"I'm chuffed that we have got the win and, overall, we deserved it," said Steve after Carlton Cole's 25-minute strike had proved the difference against a Hornets side coached by former Hammers defender Malky Mackay.
"I don't try to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, though, and we could quite easily have been two or three goals down in the opening period of the game. They created a number of chances but Jimmy Walker made some fantastic saves and then we took the lead against the run of play - that's how football works sometimes.
"Malky probably would have been scratching his head at half-time, while I knew we were very fortunate to be going in 1-0 up. I had a two-minute rant at the players and asked them to give me a response, and they certainly did that in the second half.
"We created at least five or six very good chances - enough to have won the game comfortably - and were much more competitive in all areas of the field. They created one chance at the end to grab an equaliser, but Jimmy saved us again, and I thought we earned the victory with our second half performance."
Steve was also full of praise for the other senior players who came in, with midfielder Nigel Quashie making a successful return from injury and an experienced back-line earning a second clean sheet in a row.
"It was good to see some of the senior boys get some football under their belts," he said. "And once again, they all showed a first class attitude. Nigel Quashie was only scheduled to play 60 or 70 minutes but did the full 90, while Paul Konchesky was outstanding for us again and John Pantsil also did very well.
"Christian Dailly has just come back from international duty with Scotland, playing against the likes of Italy, but he was ready and willing to give his all for us at Boreham Wood tonight, and that kind of attitude is so valuable at this level.
"The young lads were also fantastic, though, and their work-rate and enthusiasm in the second half were big factors for us. The boys have gained confidence from winning matches and hopefully we can end the season with a bit of a rally."