Hit Form Says Hayden

AFTER missing out on almost a month's football a tough away trip to Rotherham is hardly the most ideal of settings to make your first-team return.

However, defender Hayden Mullins acquitted himself well at Millmoor and remains convinced that the Hammers have the ability, if not the consistency, to achieve promotion this season.

"It was a tough game to come back in," admitted Hayden, who was absent for three games following his sending off against Brighton, "but I was just glad to be back after the frustration of being suspended.

"It's always difficult to settle back into the team after missing a few games. But it was great to start for the first-team again and even better that we came back in the second-half to force a draw.

"Rotherham is not a easy place to come, despite their League position, and in the first-half they put us under a lot of pressure.

"We didn't deal with it well, conceded two goals and at half-time it wasn't looking good. Our defending was poor for both goals and that is something I'm sure the manager will address before the Ipswich game.

"But we showed what we are about in the second-half and gave a good, determined performance to force our way back into the game.

"Teddy and Marlon finished the penalties well and we might have won it late on, although on balance a draw was a fair result."

West Ham are crying out for a consistent run of form, having bounced from the excellent to the average in recent weeks. And the 25-year-old former Crystal Palace star believes continuity is the way to consistency.

"We definitely need to show our form more regularly over the second half of the season," he confessed. "At times this season we've played really well and proved that we are good enough to be one of the top sides in the League.

"But we've let ourselves down far too many times already this season. Our lack of consistency hasn't been helped by a lot of changes being forced on the team because of injuries and suspensions.

"A settled team can only improve the team's chances of turning in more solid performances, which is what we need from now on.

"We have dropped out of sixth place with the draw at Rotherham and we need to start moving in the right direction again soon.

"Ipswich is going to be a tough way to start the New Year, but we know that we're capable of beating them if we play well and a good result at Portman Road will give us a massive boost going into January."