Joe Royle had no complaints over the 2-0 defeat by West Ham and said that Town never recovered from conceding a first minute goal.

Marlon Harewood put the Hammers ahead after a mix up in the Town defence and Matt Etherington sealed victory for the Hammers in the final seconds.

"The start killed us and it took us 30 minutes or so to settle down after that," said the Town boss.

"They got a great boost from it and we were below our best for the remaining 89 minutes but overall I have no complaints, they were better than us all over the park.

"We hardly had a shot on goal and the defeat could have been heavier than the 2-0 scoreline to be honest.

"There were no mugs of tea thrown around the dressing-room after because the players have done superbly to get where we are now.

"These boys are as honest as they come and we have had a real go at getting where we are and will continue to do so over the rest of the season.

"We are top of the table because we deserve to be top but on the day, the better team won.