Playing for West Ham has helped ease the pain of dad's death, says Jack Collison

Jack Collison reckons his decision to throw himself into West Ham’s battle against relegation has helped him deal with the tragic loss of his father.

The Hammers star, who is set to sign a new five-year deal with the club next week, has shown great bravery since his dad Ian was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on the M25 in August.

Ian was travelling to watch his son take on Tottenham at Upton Park when he fell from his bike.

The 21-year-old Collison reckons the opportunity to pull on the claret and blue on a regular basis has eased his grief and suffering.

“Football has been a wonderful release for me,” admitted midfielder Collison, who is set to start against Everton at Upton Park today.

“I love being out there and it’s just a chance to get away from everything that has been going on off the pitch.

“For me, I’m just hoping to keep on playing football and doing well for West Ham.

“I really feel part of the team at the moment.

“Last season I was coming off the bench and fairly unknown.

“But I established myself last year before picking up a little injury.

“Now I want to kick on this season and get back to where I was.

“I’m just loving playing football and that helps me through.”

The Hammers saw off Aston Villa in midweek to claim just their second win of the season thanks to Zavon Hines’s last-minute strike.

And Collison is tipping the England Under-21 star to fill the boots of injured striker Carlton Cole.

Collison added: “Coley has been massive for us this season. Not just his goals, but also his all round game, so he will be a big miss.

“However, Zavon came off the bench against Villa and was outstanding.

“He turned the game on its head when he won the penalty and then scored the winner. If we are missing Coley then we have got players to come in and do a job.

“Zavon has been nothing short of brilliant.

“He has been superb this season, coming off the bench and changing games. Hopefully he will get a few more games now and he can show what he’s all about.

“We all know what he can do from training with him everyday, but it really is up to him to show what he can do.”