Hammers receive Hutchison boost

West Ham today received their second injury boost inside 24 hours with the news Don Hutchison will be back from his cruciate knee ligament injury two months ahead of schedule.

The Scotland midfielder, who sustained the injury to his left knee in February and was expected to be sidelined until the new year, returned to training yesterday and has now pencilled in the game with his former club Everton on October 27 for his return.

Hammers boss Glenn Roeder had already discovered Frederic Kanoute’s groin injury, picked up in Saturday’s 3-2 victory at Chelsea, will only sideline him for three weeks rather than five.

The French striker is now due back for the trip to Sunderland on October 19.

Defender Ian Pearce is back from his one-match suspension.

Provisional squad: James, Schemmel, Winterburn, Pearce, Breen, Repka, Dailly, Sinclair, Cole, Defoe, Cisse, Carrick, di Canio, Labant, Lomas, van der Gouw.