West Ham might have come up short in their FA Cup bid against Liverpool on Saturday. But according to former Hammers striker Clyde Best, the Londoners still have every reason to be proud after going the distance with heavily favoured Liverpool.

The Reds denied West Ham what would have been their fourth FA Cup triumph from the penalty spot after 120 minutes of absorbing football failed to separate the two clubs (see report, Page 25).

?This match spoke for itself. Six goals, overtime, great saves, well taken goals . . . this match had it all and I thought West Ham played exceptionally well considering where we were last year this time (League Championship),? said Best, who watched the match in the comfort of his Somerset residence among family and friends.

?They (West Ham) took Liverpool into extra time and then lost it on penalties, and so you have to give credit to the guys,? he added.

Best said he was impressed by the manner in which Hammers took the match to their opposition from the outset.

?At West Ham we play the same way all of the time . . . we try to entertain and today was no different,? he said. ?We are not afraid to take anybody on, and this is something the guys have been doing all year long, all of my life and probably even before my time. They just like to entertain the fans and I think this is something more teams should try to emulate.?

Steven Gerrard?s last-gasp equaliser in regulation time proved to be a Hammers? heartbreaker.

?We were a minute away from full time and a little lapse in concentration cost us the game,? said Best. ?Gerrard was sitting right there outside of the box. But I don?t think you can blame the goalkeeper (Shaka Hislop) because that ball might have still gone in even had Gordon Banks (former England ?keeper) been between the posts.

?It was just a fabulous strike.?

But given West Ham have a nucleus of young players, Best reckons his former club have a bright future.

?You have to learn how to lose and basically the team is young,? he said. ?But they would have learned something from the match which will only make them stronger in the long run.

?It was unfortunate we did not win, but the guys must now keep their heads up, dust themselves off and try and get back there (FA Cup final) next year.?