Avram Grant was all smiles at the end of "a good week for us" having seen his team move up to 15th place in the Barclays Premier League.
A 2-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers secured by Freddie Sears' strike after an own goal was just reward for a battling display. It followed the Boxing Day triumph at Fulham and the 1-1 draw against Everton last Tuesday.
"It was a good week for us. We needed to get these points and I am very happy. It is much nicer to look at the table now and nicer than carrying the whole league on your back. We know we have a long way until we can relax but it is a nice feeling."
Hailing Sears' contribution, Grant paid tribute to all the Academy aces helping his team out including defensive rock James Tomkins and winger Junior Stanislas, who took a hefty whack for his troubles during a competitive contest.
"They are young players from our Academy and they are all doing a good job. Freddie went on loan and got some good experience at Scunthorpe. Even though he didn't score there we scouted him and knew he was doing well."
The manager also hailed a second straight man of the match display from Robert Green, who single-handedly repelled Wolves in their bright opening to the second half. That laid the foundation for the Hammers to take the lead when Ronald Zubar put through his own net on 51 minutes before Sears pounced on Tal Ben Haim's cut-back eleven minutes from time.
"I don't need to say how they are in the dressing room. You can imagine how they feel. They are very happy, especially as we are getting the rewards for our good play. We have been like this for a long time but we have become more efficient. The feeling is good. They are very happy but we have a long way to go.
"We always knew the gap was not a big gap but we will go to Newcastle on Wednesday and want to make a good result there. We remember the last match at home, when we played 20 minutes like Barcelona but they took over and deserved to win.
"The spirit was always good and the players always wanted to get out of this situation. We have played three games in a week, and have played well even though we have had to rotate the team. I am very happy and we need to continue like this and stay efficient."