This was the club’s first game under manager Julen Lopetegui and Kilman believes the Villa loss held a lot of positives and that his side will be back to form soon.
“There were some really good parts and obviously it was our first game under the new manager so there were lots of positives to take,” he observed. “We’ve got to just build from it and take the positives into the next game.
“(Lopetegui) wanted us to be more aggressive coming into the second half and to control the game a bit more. We did control the game for large parts of the game and we had better chances in the second half, but unfortunately, we didn’t get anything from the game and that’s something we need to build on and make sure we’re ready for next week.”
Kilman was disappointed by the nature of Villa’s goals, with Onana heading in from a corner and Durán completing a one-touch move that cut open the West Ham back line.
“That’s something we definitely need to improve on, but we grew into the game and we came into the half-time in a good position,” the centre-back continued. “We needed to fight in the second half, but unfortunately things didn’t go our way today.
“The winner was a tough one to take, but we worked really hard and I’m sure our luck will turn.”
The Villa game was Kilman’s debut in in Claret and Blue and he proud to put on the shirt.
“It was a proud moment for me personally, coming to this big Club, and I just want to do my best,” he said. “It was a good first start, but obviously we as a team we didn’t get a good result, but it’s something to build on and hopefully there will be many more good games.
“We’ve got a lot of new signings and a new manager so obviously we’re going through a big transitional phase. This takes time and we’ve only had a few weeks in pre-season, but as the weeks go on I’m sure we’ll build into a stronger and stronger team.”
The Hammers face Crystal Palace next as both sides look to earn their first win of the season.