Steve Tilson acknowledged the quality of West Ham and believes that they provided Southend with exactly what they needed.
The Blues Chief admits that these are just the sort of tests that his team can learn from and take forward into the new season come August 11th.
"It was a good test for us in front of a good crowd," Steve told Blues World.
"West Ham looked sharp and I believe they will finish in the top half of the Premiership this year.
"We could have passed better, but we were playing good opposition and the final scoreline was respectable.
"The substitutions we made may have helped us because we had a few opportunities in the second half.
"It was a good strike from Kevin for our goal although Clarkey is adamant that he got a touch!
"Overall everyone has come through unscathed, so that is a big positive.
Tilson will now prepare his side for a similar type of challenge against Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday night.
He said: "They are a good side and it's another big match for us.
"We will need to make sure that we keep the ball better, certainly more so than we did today.
"This is another match that will help us with our fitness and we need to take this forward to be ready come August."
