Hayden Mullins believes the international break will allow West Ham United to get "back to basics" as they look to push on from a respectable mid-table position.
The versatile midfielder was naturally disappointed with the 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday that saw him go up against former club captain Nigel Reo-Coker but the 28-year-old is already plotting how he and his team-mates can put that right. He said: "I think we have to get back on the training field, work hard and get back to basics. What we were doing right before we went on this bad run. We had a very good record. We want to get back to that."
Once the international programme is out of the way, West Ham entertain Sunderland at home on Sunday 21 October before a trip to Portsmouth six days later and then the Carling Cup fourth-round tie at Coventry City on Tuesday 30 October. According to Mullins, there is every chance of taking league points and reaching the last eight of the cup competition. "We know there a couple of good games coming up for us later this month and we're looking to win them," he added.
Looking back to Saturday, Mullins paid tribute to the effort shown despite conceding from a free-kick he felt was harshly awarded. "We did really well in the second half, we were the much better side and we're disappointed to come out of that losing. It's just a reminder that we have to take our chances and keep it a bit tighter at the back."
The duel with Reo-Coker caught the eye but, for Mullins, meeting former colleagues is nothing new. "He's a good mate of mine but once you get out there and the whistle goes, there are no friends," he said. "If you have to put a challenge in, then you have to put a challenge in and you talk about it after."
As is often the case in football, the difference between victory and defeat is often a fine line and Mullins reiterated there was plenty to take from the contest. "I think we always looked dangerous but didn't get that bit of luck that we needed. That was the decisive factor. Once you get half a chance, Carlton Cole had one, Lee Bowyer and Matty Etherington, you have to take them, which we didn't today. We'll be going back to the training field and working on that."