It wasn't quite the return to first-team action Rob Green had been hoping for on Saturday - but the Hammers keeper is confident that the team will ultimately get the rewards their efforts deserve.
"We didn't play as well as we'd have liked," he admitted. "There was a lot of work in there but it was a disappointing result.
"On a personal level I'm glad to be back playing, that's why I'm here and I just want to do as well as I can, but unfortunately it didn't quite work out on Saturday.
"When some of the fans showed their displeasure at what they were seeing, it was shared by the players and shared by everyone there.
"No one goes out on the pitch to lose a game, no one goes out not wanting to work hard or play well. Everybody's doing all they can and it's all too clear that we need to turn things around."
"We haven't been playing as well as we can and it's down to us to get that right. Key things have got to go our way and we have to cut out mistakes at either end. Once we do that we'll be a lot tougher team to beat."
And the 27-year-old keeper believes this weekend's break, despite coming at the expense of a place in the FA Cup, will benefit the team.
"It's good to have time to focus on training but we'd also like a chance to put things right," he said. "Now's the time for us to put a lot of work in, get it right and make a push from now until the end of the season to get some results on the board and get us out of the predicament we're in.
"It's not going to be easy but we can use the two weeks that we have to put the work in, instil some confidence and really galvanise us for the last few months."
by Gemma Clarke