Collins: West Ham’s ‘unbelievable’ forwards can win cup

Ian Watson

Dimitri Payet: Has asked to leave West Ham

Defender James Collins believes West Ham have the attacking options to fire them to FA Cup glory.

The club’s player of the season Dimitri Payet inspired the 5-1 win at Blackburn with two brilliant individual goals and an assist, but Emmanuel Emenike also scored his first two goals for the club since arriving on loan in the January transfer window.

Payet is the Hammers’ leading scorer with nine this season but Michail Antonio, Manuel Lanzini, Enner Valencia, Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho have all chipped in with four or more.

Collins believes having so many alternatives could work in their favour as they wait to learn who will be their quarter-final opponents out of Shrewsbury and Manchester United.

“In the Premier League you probably have to be a little bit more cautious because teams can be two or three goals up in a matter of minutes with their attacking players,” he said.

“But some of the stuff you see in training from our attacking lads is unbelievable.

“The more they can produce that on the pitch the better.

“We are confident; we have beaten a lot of the big boys in the league and whoever we get we will give them a good game.

“We are getting injuries back now, it is a strong squad.

“(Manuel) Lanzini is back now and he is going to be an important player for us.

“The gaffer (Slaven Bilic) said himself he wants to have a right go at winning the FA Cup and why not? We have come this far now.”

Collins was an unused substitute the last time the Hammers reached the FA Cup final in 2006, when they lost to Liverpool on penalties after Steven Gerrard’s spectacular 90th-minute equaliser.

While it remains a career landmark the 32-year-old is keen to go one better this time around.

“I was involved last time when we got to the final and It is still one of – if not the – biggest highlight of my career so far,” he added.

“To go there with such a good team and be on the right side of the result this time would be amazing.”