Collins: Neill William (Neill)

2010-2011 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Central Defender

Born: Irvine, Nr Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland: 02-09-1983

Debut v Norwich City (a): 27-03-2010

6’2” 12st 4lb (2010)

Collins began his career with Scottish amateur club, Queen's Park, in March 2001 and started thirty League games together with two more from the bench and two Scottish Cup and one Scottish League Cup games. He moved to Dumbarton on 22nd July 2002 and soon found favour with the fans as he helped the club stave off relegation from the Second Division and was also appointed Captain. He was obviously destined for bigger things and had trials with Falkirk, Hibernian, Rangers and Charlton Athletic. He had scored four times and played sixty-three League games, including one from the bench, two in the Scottish Cup, three in the Scottish League Cup and four in the Scottish League Challenge Cup before moving to Sunderland for £25,000 on 13th August 2004. He played eleven games in his first season as Sunderland gained promotion to the EPL as Champions of the CCCL. He was called up to the Scotland Under-Twenty-One team for the UEFA Championships and quickly established himself in the team, making his debut on 3rd June 2005 in a 0-0 draw with Moldova at the home of Partick Thistle, Firhill Stadium and four days later he picked up his second cap as Scotland went down to Belarus at the Traktor Stadion, Minsk by 2-3. He was not exposed to the rigours of the EPL, as The Black Cats went for the experience of Alan Stubbs, and Manager Mick McCarthy wanted Collins to gain more experience. So, on 12th August 2005, he was loaned to League One side, Hartlepools United until the end of the calendar year. Collins made an impressive debut in a 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers on 13th August 2005 and soon established himself as a strong presence alongside Michael Nelson at the heart of the Pools defence. He made starts in twenty-two League, two League Cup and one Johnstone's Paint Trophy game, before returning on 1st January 2006, after playing his final game for the Monkey-hangers in a 1-2 defeat at Oldham Athletic on 31st December 2005. While he was at Hartlepools he had accumulated another four Under-Twenty-One caps to bring his appearances to seven. On 18th August 2005 he had been a half-time substitute in a Friendly at the ASK Koflach Stadion, Koflach as Austria won 3-1, and then he played a further four games in the UEFA qualifiers. on 2nd September at Fir Park, Motherwell Scotland drew with Italy, but because of irregularities the tie was given to the Italians by 3-0. On 6th September he played in Norway at the Marielyst Stadion in Drammen as the home side won 1-0. Then Belarus won 3-2 at the Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, home of Clyde FC, on 7th October and his final cap came three days later in the Ob Jezaru Stadion, Velenje as Slovenia inflicted a 3-0 defeat. On 17th February 2006 he was loaned to CCL side Sheffield United for the rest of the season, as they had mounting injury problems, and he started twice in the League before returning to Sunderland on 1st May 2006. He returned to the Sunderland team at the start of the following season, although injuries saw him playing out of position at Right Back. He was a regular under manager Mick McCarthy, but when McCarthy left the job, and Roy Keane had taken over from temporary Manager Niall Quinn, he found himself out of favour. He was quite happy to be re-united with former boss Mick McCarthy at Wolverhampton going on loan from 23rd November 2006 until the end of the calendar year, where he scored once in three League starts. He had scored once in eighteen League appearances, of which four were from the bench, and scored once more in the F.A. Cup in four starts, as well as having two starts in the League Cup before he was signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers on 5th January 2007 for £150,000. He was signed on a three-and-a-half year contract and went straight into the team and became a regular starter as Wolves reached the CCCL play-offs. The following season saw Collins again a regular and consistent performer as the club just failed to reach the play-offs on goal difference. His good form had been rewarded by an appearance for Scotland "B" as a half-time substitute in a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland at the Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie on 20th November 2007. He started the 2008-09 season as the club's main central defender but the arrival of Michael Mancienne from Chelsea on loan saw him second choice, but when Mancienne returned to Chelsea in the New Year, Collins returned to the side, and had contributed several important goals before he was suspended after receiving a red card. He was replaced by the signing of Scottish International Christophe Berra and could not get his place back and was transfer-listed in July 2009. On 1st September 2009 he was loaned to CCCL side Preston North End until the end of the calendar year, in which time he made sixteen starts in the League and one in the F.A. Cup. On 5th January 2010, Preston Manager, Alan Irvine, signed him on a three-and-a-half year contract for an undisclosed fee. As had happened in his time at Sunderland, he was not part of a new Manager's plans, which he soon found out after Darren Ferguson had taken over the reins at Deepdale. Leeds United had just lost their main central defender, Patrick Kisnorbo, to injury for a long time and so Leeds Manager Simon Grayson moved swiftly to arrange Collins' loan for the rest of the season, on 23rd March 2010. Collins started every game for the rest of the campaign, playing nine League games as Leeds clinch promotion to the CCCL. On 7th July 2010 he signed for Leeds, for an undisclosed fee, on a three year contract, after scoring once in three starts and two League games from the bench in his six month stay at Deepdale. Collins was the Leeds first choice as a defender at the beginning of the 2010-11 season with Kisnorbo still sidelined indefinitely but some poor performances by Collins saw him dropped to the bench, where he remained mostly unused. On 31st January 2011 he was signed by Sheffield United, on a two and a half year contract, and though he played fourteen games there was little he could do to arrest the Blades slide to relegation to League One. He was capped seven times for Scotland at Under-Twenty-One level and once for the Scotland "B" team.