ALAN Pardew has called for his Hammers team to attack Saturday's game with Plymouth as if it was an FA Cup Final, as the side go in search of another vital three points in the Championship.
With an important win over Cardiff secured in their last League outing, Alan knows there can be no let up as the Hammers look to push back into the Play-off places.
And he insists that there is still a lot to play for as we enter the final third of the season.
"We've got to go into the Plymouth game as if it was an FA Cup Final," insisted Pards, "and we've got to treat every one of the next 14 games with the same importance.
"We can't hide away from the disappointment of last weekend. We wanted to progress in the FA Cup and going out was a big blow. But we're focused on our League campaign and the home game against Plymouth is a really important chance for us to take another three points.
"There's still a lot that can happen in this League between now and the end of the season and the last few games is where it really counts."
Alan was impressed with the atmosphere at Home Park earlier in the season, when Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by Plymouth, and expects another very tough test from the Pilgrims on Saturday.
"They come with a very strong back four and a sitting midfield player," he explained, "which makes it very tricky to break them down.
"An early goal would open the game up and put them on the back foot, and we'll be looking for a strong start on Saturday.
"If we can put them under pressure from the kick-off it will get the fans going and that will make if difficult for Plymouth to hold out. Our priority has to be to make sure we start well and hopefully get ahead early on.
"What sticks in my memory about playing them at Home Park was the atmosphere their fans created. There was a huge buzz around the ground, it was like a massive Cup tie and that made it extremely difficult for us.
"They're bringing roughly 2,500 fans with them to Upton Park this weekend and we've got to expect that they'll treat it as one of their biggest games of the season.
"But it's a huge game for us as well. We need to win to get us back into the Play-off zone and we've got to make sure that we do the job on Saturday."
Although wins are vital at this stage of the season, Alan refuses to be drawn on the amount of points Hammers will need to collect if they are to be in the promotion shake-up. However, the Hammers boss insists that this will be a big week in West Ham United's season.
"It's going to be a huge week for a lot of Clubs in the Championship," he admitted, "and it's good for us to have a few bodies back. Teddy's fitness is important to us and Matty coming back will certainly help us going forward.
"I'm not concerned about how
many points we might need, because right now we're just looking
to get as many wins as possible and we'll see where that leaves
us.
"It's a busy week with three important games coming up.
We've got no divine right to win those games. They're going
to be tough and we've got to earn the points, starting
hopefully with a strong performance against Plymouth."