Craig Bellamy and James Collins gave West Ham United a double boost on Saturday as they both featured in a 2-0 win for Wales against Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying.
Bellamy, who was unlucky with several good opportunities including a missed spot-kick, made his first start this season and got 81 minutes of competitive action before being rested in place of his club-mate Collins. While Bellamy has made three substitute appearances for West Ham United this season after recovering from a hamstring problem, Collins has not played a senior game since last December after suffering a serious knee injury in a January reserve game.
Wales had to be patient to wrap things up in their third Group 4 encounter. They had opened up the World Cup campaign with a 1-0 home win against Azerbaijan but then lost 2-1 in Russia. David Edwards finally opened the scoring just before half-time at the Millennium Stadium and it could have been two almost immediately had Bellamy's penalty not been saved. It mattered not as Ched Evans' deflected shot went in on 80 minutes - prompting Bellamy's departure with the job done and that welcome run out for Collins.
John Toshack's men are next in action on Wednesday when they go to Monchengladbach to take on the might of Germany. Collins may well find himself in the starting eleven for a match that could prove decisive to Welsh hopes. In the European zone, the winners of each group will progress to the 2010 World Cup. The eight best runners-up will then be drawn into four play-off matches with the winners of each two-legged tie joining the pool winners in South Africa.