West Ham United defender Stephen Hendrie said the Development Squad did not control the game well enough in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Monday night.
While the Hammers looked good in small patches of the game, it was the visiting Villans who looked more comfortable as they created a host of chances.
Speaking after the match, his first at the renown Rush Green, Hendrie said: “We’re all disappointed to lose the game, we never really got hold of the ball or dominate the game apart from maybe a 20 minute spell in the first half.
“In the second half we needed to start on the front foot but we started slowly. We conceded the first goal which is always a big setback, I brought the boy down for the penalty so I’m disappointed with that. Second half it became a real battle and we tried hard but it just wasn’t quite enough.”
In an entertaining game, Villa striker Jerrel Sellars proved a constant threat from the first minute to the last, and his efforts were rewarded when he tucked away his penalty with impressive composure.
The Hammers responded strongly through Manuel Lanzini who rolled the ball into the open net after Elliot Lee dispossessed Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer.
Towards the end, with a draw looking the most likely result, the Villans ramped up the pressure resulting in Jordan Lyden firing home from close range.
Hendrie continued: “Villa looked like a dangerous side; they had a bit of pace too. At this level every team is going to be like that, we just have to deal with that.
“The rain actually made the pitch better as you can pass it around quicker but Villa did that better than us. We didn’t get it down and moving it like we did against West Brom.”
Having joined the Hammers in the summer from boyhood club Hamilton Academical, Hendrie is raring to go in a Claret and Blue shirt.
The softly spoken Scottish U21 international, finished by stating his aims for the season: “Overall, fitness wise I feel pretty good. I played a full 90 today and got 85 minutes last week, hopefully I’ll be back to 100% soon.
“I need to carry on working hard and playing as many games as possible, get my fitness and sharpness up and see where that takes me.”
While the Hammers looked good in small patches of the game, it was the visiting Villans who looked more comfortable as they created a host of chances.
Speaking after the match, his first at the renown Rush Green, Hendrie said: “We’re all disappointed to lose the game, we never really got hold of the ball or dominate the game apart from maybe a 20 minute spell in the first half.
“In the second half we needed to start on the front foot but we started slowly. We conceded the first goal which is always a big setback, I brought the boy down for the penalty so I’m disappointed with that. Second half it became a real battle and we tried hard but it just wasn’t quite enough.”
In an entertaining game, Villa striker Jerrel Sellars proved a constant threat from the first minute to the last, and his efforts were rewarded when he tucked away his penalty with impressive composure.
The Hammers responded strongly through Manuel Lanzini who rolled the ball into the open net after Elliot Lee dispossessed Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer.
Towards the end, with a draw looking the most likely result, the Villans ramped up the pressure resulting in Jordan Lyden firing home from close range.
Hendrie continued: “Villa looked like a dangerous side; they had a bit of pace too. At this level every team is going to be like that, we just have to deal with that.
“The rain actually made the pitch better as you can pass it around quicker but Villa did that better than us. We didn’t get it down and moving it like we did against West Brom.”
Having joined the Hammers in the summer from boyhood club Hamilton Academical, Hendrie is raring to go in a Claret and Blue shirt.
The softly spoken Scottish U21 international, finished by stating his aims for the season: “Overall, fitness wise I feel pretty good. I played a full 90 today and got 85 minutes last week, hopefully I’ll be back to 100% soon.
“I need to carry on working hard and playing as many games as possible, get my fitness and sharpness up and see where that takes me.”