Portsmouth and Bolton title rivals Derby sweating on the fitness of top scorer as striker undergoes knee scan

Pompey promotion rivals Derby County are sweating on the fitness of top-scorer James Collins going into League One run-in.

The striker - who has 18 goals in all competitions this season - required lengthy treatment on a knee injury sustained in the Rams’ 3-0 win at Exeter on Tuesday night. 

The 33-year-old played on to help the Pride Park outfit keep the pressure on John Mousinho’s leaders. But with Collins, reportedly, still feeling some discomfort, he will have a scan to determine what damage might have been caused.

Heading into Saturday’s game against fellow promotion-chasers Stevenage, Rams boss Paul Warne is trying to remain upbeat. However, he’s also conscious that the forward might be out of action for a significant period, which would represent a huge blow.

Warne told Derbyshire Live: ‘His knee is sore and a bit loose. He is having a scan. The worst case is that he is out for the season, and I say that is worst case. But he did play on and there is optimism that he could be available for this weekend.

‘We will find out from the scan, but he is not in horrific pain. But if there is something that has gone structurally in the knee then you are not always in pain because sometimes it's the nerves that have gone.

‘We will know more in the next 24 hours but we are hoping he could be available - although that might be me being too optimistic.’

Derby currently sit second in the League One table - six points behind leaders Pompey but with a game in hand. They are also a point better off than third-placed Bolton, who have played fewer games than both sides currently occupying the top two,

Collins - who turned down a move to Pompey in 2022 in favour of a move to Pride Park -  has played his part in the Rams’ pursuit of a Championship return by notching 13 league goals so far this term. He’s the only Derby player on double figures for the season. His potential absence comes after a hamstring injury ended on-loan Arsenal forward Tyreece John-Jules’s season. Fellow forwards Martyn Waghorn (calf) and Conor Washington (ankle) also remain unavailable for selection.

Derby head to Fratton Park on Monday, April 1. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Pompey at Pride Park back in September.