Jack Collison insists West Ham are capable of winning the FA Cup this year

By JONATHAN CLEGG

Jack Collison insists West Ham are capable of winning the FA Cup this year as the Hammers midfielder looks to crown his breakthrough season at Upton Park by leading the club to glory at Wembley.

West Ham can reach the cup quarter-finals by overcoming Middlesbrough in this weekend's crucial fifth-round clash at Upton Park, where the Hammers have lost just once in five outings following Sunday's defeat by Manchester United.

Middlesbrough approach the match in a dismal run of form, having failed to record a league win since November, and Collison is confident that the Hammers can heap more misery on the Teesside club and progress to the last 16 of the competition.

He said: "We're going to go into the game full of confidence. The results haven't been going well for them at the moment, so we're going to try and beat them and then we're only a couple of games away from the final.

"If we can get through [against Middlesbrough] then we've got a great chance of winning it. It would be a great thing [in my first full season] - all kids dream of winning the FA Cup."

The 20-year-old midfielder also believes West Ham are poised for long-term success under manager Gianfranco Zola, who was this week linked with the managerial opening at Stamford Bridge before Guus Hiddink emerged as Chelsea's preferred option.

"Gianfranco going is the last thing anyone at West Ham wants. The future is bright with him in change," Collison said.

"People may be surprised by his impact at West Ham but he played at the very highest level and played under some top managers.

"We were disappointed to come away with nothing against Man United [on Sunday] and they're champions of the world at the moment. That shows how far we've come as a team. We're really looking to push on.