IN THE words of Thomas Hitzlsperger after the defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, West Ham now have ‘a mountain to climb’.

Whereas victory would have left a steep hill to scale to ensure safety between now and the end of the season, the task certainly now resembles a hike of Everest proportions.

The table suggests the Hammers are far from relegation certainties; Avram Grant’s side are second from bottom on 32 points, just two points from safety. But it does not tell the whole story.

West Ham could be cut adrift by the time the whistle blows at Eastlands on May 1.

Trips to Chelsea – on Saturday – and Manchester City the week after carry little potential for points, given the Irons’ recent slump in form.

Defeats at both venues would then almost certainly leave the team requiring at least seven points from the final three games of the campaign, at home to Blackburn, away at Wigan and home again to Sunderland.

Hitzlsperger was part of the team that was outclassed by Aston Villa at Upton Park at the weekend.

It had all begun so well for the hosts, with Robbie Keane giving them the lead with an opportunistic strike after just two minutes.

But once Villa gained a foothold in the game when Darren Bent glanced home Luke Young’s cross – following an ill-advised dribble on the edge of his area from Mark Noble – the win West Ham so desperately craved seemed impossible.

A point would not have been disastrous, but when Gabby Agbonlahor came off the bench to head in Ashley Young’s cross the game was up and the points were lost.

Hitzlsperger summed up the mood in the home camp. “That late goal was just so disappointing and frustrating for us,” he said. “A draw would have been OK for us, especially given the way the game went.”

The midfielder was gloomy on West Ham’s prospects of staying up, too.

“I don’t know how many (wins) we need (to stay up). Hopefully we can get three points from the next game (at Chelsea) but it’s tough. It’s getting even harder for us now. If we don’t win games like today then we’ll give ourselves a mountain to climb.”

Hitzlsperger admitted it is difficult for the players to break free of the shackles that have anchored the team to the foot of the table for much of the season.

“We’re never really free are we? We’ve been in a relegation fight the whole season. It’s going into games like (Villa) knowing you have to win it. Otherwise you’re in really big trouble, like we are now.

“Therefore we aren’t free of the pressure, we feel it. But we’re not the only ones. We have to cope with it. We go to Chelsea knowing that they’re a very good side but hopefully they’ll struggle.”

Grant, meanwhile, believes nine points are required to avoid the drop.

He refused to condemn his side to defeat against Chelsea and Manchester City, and insisted it was possible for his team to grind out a result.

“I think we need nine points to save ourselves,” he said. “It will be difficult but it is possible. The next two games are very hard, but we are still not going to give up on them. So yes, our target is nine points.

“We need to take points from one of the next two games.”