Collins: season over

James Collins is out for the rest of the season - and possibly the rest of the year - after it was confirmed that he has sustained cruciate knee ligament damage.

Collins suffered the injury during the 1-0 win over Portsmouth reserves earlier in the week. Hammers assistant manager Mervyn Day confirmed yesterday that the damage was almost certainly to the cruciate ligaments.

The news will be a crushing blow to Collins, who has only just regained full fitness after suffering a string of minor injuries already this season.

The Welsh international is the fourth Hammer to suffer the potentially career-threatening injury in the last few years. Don Hutchison was out for a year after tearing his cruciate ligaments back in 2001, whilst Richard Garcia suffered the same injury a year earlier.

Defender Ian Pearce was out for 15 months after suffering the same injury back in 1999 in the opening game of the season against Tottenham.