Collins injury hits Hammers before crunch Saints clash

JAMES COLLINS faces a race to be fit for West Ham’s crunch Premier League home game with Southampton on Saturday week after pulling up with a hamstring injury in their fund-raising friendly last night. Collins limped off after only 27 minutes as the Hammers beat cashstrapped Dagenham & Redbridge 3-1 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. His injury could leave West Ham light in defence. They are already without Winston Reid for the rest of the season and recently sold Jose Fonte to Chinese team Dalian Yifang. This was West Ham’s first fixture since their 3-0 Premier League defeat by Burnley at the London Stadium when pitch invaders and protests overshadowed the match.