Sam Allardyce and his West Ham United players are determined to make amends at Doncaster Rovers after their disappointment last weekend.
As the Hammers headed up to Yorkshire on the train, there was a collective commitment within the squad to finally get the season up and running on Saturday after a frustrating week.
After Tuesday's Carling Cup tie with Aldershot Town was postponed, the manager will relish the match action having been denied the opportunity to run the rule over all who did not figure against Cardiff City last Saturday.
Allardyce has to make late decisions about Julien Faubert and Pablo Barrera for the Hammers first-ever game at the Keepmoat Stadium, and the first trip to Doncaster since 1958. Faubert only returned to training this week after a hamstring injury and Barrera had to contend with a long-haul trip back from the United States after international duty.
New recruits George McCartney and John Carew have definitely not made the trip, while homegrown winger Junior Stanislas is pushing hard for inclusion having had a particularly impressive summer. Abdoulaye Faye, Jack Collison and Carlton Cole are also eager to make the first eleven.
The manager admitted he was still assessing his squad, and only matches would give him the answers he needs. "The need is to try and find continuity. I am really not sure yet in these early stages what my best side is and once you find that out you try to stick to it. Then, the only way I will want to change that is either through a drastic loss of form or an injury.
"I have to adjust to players and they players have to adjust to me. I believe that what I can give them is a structure and a working process that helps them improve as an individual and hopefully collectively as a team."
The manager said nothing should be read into Carlton Cole beginning last week on the bench, and he had praise for the popular No9's commitment to the claret and blue cause. "It wasn't tactical [to leave him out last week]. It was a lack of game time.
"Because of little problems and niggles he had, he hadn't been out on the training ground as long and often as we would have wanted.
"Carlton turned down Stoke so he has to be commended for that. He turned down a chance of playing in the Premier League and turned down the chance of earning far more money than what he earns at West Ham. So when every player is ridiculed that all they do is they play for money, he is the opposite of that."
Allardyce also acknowledged the attitude and application of Herita Ilunga, who turned in a strong display on his first league appearance since 28 December 2010. Although the left-back was part of the defensive lapse that allowed Cardiff their winner, the manager said he had faith in the always professional No23.
"You have to bear in mind where he has come from and where he was last season. He was a cast-off and he wasn't a part of West Ham United in terms of the first-team squad.
"That has a psychological and mental effect on you. You have to turn that around and get his ability to come through. Apart from that unfortunate error at the end, I thought he showed some good qualities in the game and got better as the game wore on. He can only get better from where he has come from.
"Herita has got to shake it off. You have got to put it to one side learn a lesson and make sure you don't repeat it when the opportunity arises to deal with it in a different way. We all make mistakes."
He also had positive words for right-back Joey O'Brien's form after his return to action following two years of injury "devastation". The manager added: "I can see a big improvement. We haven't seen the best of a lot of players yet."