West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has blamed tiredness for his side's 4-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup.
The Hammers were thrashed at The Hawthorns on Saturday as they exited the competition in the fifth round.
While he concedes that West Brom were the better team, Allardyce believes that fatigue among his players played a big part in the result.
"It was a huge disappointment, but I can see why," he told the club's official website. "We didn't really get to our level because we didn't have the energy to get to that level, so it's the old saying that this was a game too far for us.
"The players have had to cope a lot of games in a short space of time but unfortunately they couldn't cope it against a West Brom side who played very, very well.
"If we'd have been on our top form then I think we'd have given them a much better game but we couldn't because we couldn't get our energy levels right because of what we've had to do over the last few days, it has unfortunately taken its toll."
West Ham are back in action next Sunday when they make the short trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Jack Prescott
