Thursday, 13th February, 2014
West Ham defender James Collins believes that having kept four clean sheets in a row is "massive" for the club.
The Hammers have been in the thick of a relegation battle for the majority of the season, but a run of three victories and an impressive 0-0 draw at Chelsea stopped the rot and then reversed it, with Sam Allardyce's men jumping up to eleventh in the Premier League.
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And Collins feels the defensive solidity displayed has been a big factor in putting the foundations in place for a revival.
"It's massive to keep four clean sheets in a row", he told his club's site.
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"That's what we base our game on – if we keep a clean sheet we can't lose the game and that's what the Gaffer drills into us."
But, with West Ham still only having 28 points, Collins knows there is no room for error or an easing off on the pedal.
"The pressure is never off until you've got the sacred 40 points", the Welshman said.
West Ham now head off to Dubai for warm-weather training on account of it being an FA Cup weekend in England; the Hammers were knocked out of the competition by Nottingham Forest 5-0.
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