Michael Collins (footballer)

Football player infobox
playername = Michael Collins


fullname = Michael Anthony Collins
nickname =
height = height|ft=6|in=0
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1986|4|30
cityofbirth = Halifax
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Huddersfield Town
clubnumber = 4
position = Defender/Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs = Huddersfield Town
years = 2004-
clubs = Huddersfield Town
caps(goals) = 113 (7)
nationalyears = ?
2007-
nationalteam = Ireland U-19
Ireland U-21
nationalcaps(goals) = 00? (?)
006 (2)
pcupdate = September 13, 2008
ntupdate = May 23, 2008

Michael Anthony Collins (born April 30, 1986 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England) is a professional footballer currently playing for Huddersfield Town in Coca-Cola League One.

Having come through Town's academy, Collins made his first team debut in 2004, but has found it hard to cement a place in the side, with a lot of competition from captain Jon Worthington, Mark Hudson and Adnan Ahmed amongst others, but he had already produced several superb displays in the early part of the 2006-07 season.

His most notable contribution was against the Premiership champions Chelsea, when he came off the bench in the FA Cup 3rd Round tie in January 2006 and provided the set-up for Gary Taylor-Fletcher's equaliser. The British press took note of this as he was only earning £240 per week, compared with Chelsea's multi-millionaires.

Qualifying through to the controversial parentage rule Michael made his international debut in an U18 game in April 2003. He was the captain of the Irish under-19 squad and on March 14, 2007, he got his first call-up to the Irish Under-21 squad for a match against Netherlands Under-21's, but he was forced to withdraw from the squad after picking up a shoulder injury in a league game against Brighton & Hove Albion. On May 5, he scored on his return from suspension (after his red card against Millwall) against Leyton Orient where Town won 3-1.

He made his Ireland under-21 debut against Germany's under-21's in a friendly match at the Playmobil-Stadion in Fürth on August 21, 2007. His home debut came against Portugal's under-21's at the Turners Cross Stadium in Cork on September 7, 2007.

He scored his first league goal of the 2007-08 season in Town's 2-0 win over Yeovil Town at Huish Park on February 2, 2008.

During the 2007-08 season, Town manager Andy Ritchie has tended to use Collins as cover in right-back and right-midfield positions, but he mainly tends to use Collins in tandem with Andy Holdsworth in Town's central midfield.

On Saturday February 16, 2008 Michael scored the goal he will remember for the rest of his life after he equalised Frank Lampard's goal on the stroke of half-time in the FA Cup 5th round at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. It is only the second goal of the season for Michael.

On May 15, 2008, he scored his first goals for the Ireland Under-21's in a 3-1 win over Malaysia Under-23's in an Intercontinental Cup match in Malaysia.

External links

* [http://www.htafc.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10312~33193,00.html Michael Collins player profile] at htafc.com
*soccerbase|id=40835|name=Michael Collins