Carl Jenkinson believes Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win over Newcastle United came at the perfect time, with West Ham United desperate to get back on track sooner rather than later.
Another clean sheet, a second in succession at the Boleyn Ground, laid the foundation for a first win in four, as fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell stole in to bag his first West Ham goal and three points.
Victory lifts the Hammers up to fifth ahead of Tuesday's visit to West Bromwich Albion and while three points are always welcome, Jenkinson insists this was a particularly timely triumph.
"It's great, it was a really hard-fought victory and we needed it to be honest," he told West Ham TV. "We needed to get back on track and needed three points, so it's a fantastic win and just what we needed right now. In game's like this, it doesn't matter how you do it. It's fantastic that we've kept a clean sheet as well and we've scored a great goal, so a great day all round.
"It wasn't easy, especially first half. You could see they were a side full of confidence and they've got some good players. So it was never going to be easy and we rode the storm. We stopped them creating too much, which was good and it was lovely to get a clean sheet. That's always nice for the defenders and the goalkeeper, so a massive win."
Even in Winston Reid's absence, Jenkinson and company looked assured at the back and the Arsenal loanee says consistency of personnel is aiding the Hammers' cause no end.
He continued: "We're getting to know each other really well as a back five, as such. It's not just the defenders, actually. The midfield have really been putting in an effort and tracking runners, they're just as important as the defenders. It's been a real team effort and I think defensively we've been really good the last few games."
As for West Ham's winner, the 22-year-old could hardly speak highly enough of Cresswell, whose brilliant finish belied a 14-month wait for a league goal, after netting in 4-4 draw in October 2013.
"It's fantastic and it's great that he anticipated," he confirmed. "Obviously Cheikhou's had a shot and skewed it into Aaron's path. It's fantastic, great instincts to be able to read that and to get in behind and obviously it was a really cool finish. Fantastic for Aaron, fantastic for the team and it was just what we needed."
The Hammers now head to the West Midlands with a spring in their step, but Jenkinson is not underestimating the job at hand, adamant that he and his colleagues will have to be at the peak of their powers to make it two wins in four days.
"It's all about just recovering properly now, we've got a couple of days. Saturday's game took a lot out of the boys, so we need to rest up, do the right things and be ready for Tuesday, because it's another very important game.
"We're going to have to be on the top of our game if we're going to go there and get a result. But the way we're playing at the moment and the confidence we've got in the side, we're more than capable of doing it."