Ian Hendon was pleased with the way a young development squad coped with an experienced Queens Park Rangers side on Wednesday.
The youthful Hammers, featuring three triallists and new recruit Brian Montenegro, were up against a home side featuring several with first-team experience at Rangers' Harlington training ground.
Freddie Sears scored the consolation for the visitors from east London in a 4-1 defeat, while Ian Hendon was pleased to see George Moncur and Robert Hall continue to push on.
Hendon, who was also without recent loanees Ahmed Abdulla, Jordan Brown, Olly Lee and Cristian Montano, said: "We had a mix of young players and a couple of triallists and they had a much more older and experienced side, including players like Clint Hill.
"So while it was a tough test, it was another good test for our young players and there were positives to take out of the negatives.
"Every game you play, win or lose, the players will learn and I will learn different things about them, added Hendon. "It wasn't really a 4-1 game, we could have scored when it was 2-0 and I think it would have been a bit different but it killed us a bit when they got the third.
"Freddie scoring his third in two games was a huge plus and again he did well, so that was pleasing and there were good performances from George Moncur and Robert Hall. So it is a learning game and this was just a tough one."
Squad: Cowler, Driver, Wearen, McNaughton, Moncur, Sears, Hall, Nouble, Montenegro, Vose, Potts, Powell plus three triallists.