 Collins as manager ofYork City in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Jason Collins[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-06-05)5 June 1977 (age 48)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Pontefract, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1994 | Huddersfield Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1999 | Huddersfield Town | 37 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Bury | 82 | (2) |
| 2002–2006 | Port Vale | 135 | (11) |
| 2005–2006 | →Hull City (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Hull City | 13 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2008–2015 | Hartlepool United | 244 | (6) |
| Total | 525 | (19) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Hartlepool United (caretaker) | ||
| 2014 | Hartlepool United (caretaker) | ||
| 2017 | Hartlepool United (caretaker) | ||
| 2018–2019 | York City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sam Jason Collins (born 5 June 1977) is an English professionalfootball manager and formerfootballer who is a youth coach atEFL League One clubBarnsley. He played as acentre back inthe Football League forHuddersfield Town,Bury,Port Vale,Hull City,Swindon Town andHartlepool United. He managed in the Football League with Hartlepool United.
Collins started his career with Huddersfield Town in 1994 before he signed for Bury in 1999. After three years, he moved on to Port Vale, where he established himself ascaptain. He was named the club's Player of the Year at the end of the2002–03 season. Collins' performances earned him a move to Hull City in 2006, though knee injuries blighted his time at the club.Loaned to Swindon Town for a brief spell in 2007; the following year, he signed permanently with Hartlepool United.
Collins took on acoaching role with Hartlepool in 2014 and had three spells ascaretaker manager before leaving the club in 2017. He spent a year as a coach atBradford City before becoming youth-team manager atYork City. He took over as manager in August 2018, initially as caretaker manager, before leaving in January 2019. He has since coached atBarnsley andMansfield Town.
Collins was born inPontefract, West Yorkshire.[4] He started his career atFirst Division clubHuddersfield Town as a trainee, signing a professionalcontract on 6 July 1994.[5]
Collins signed forSecond Division clubBury on 2 July 1999 for a £75,000 fee.[5] He was released at the end of the2001–02 season, following the club'srelegation to theThird Division.[6]
He signed for Second Division clubPort Vale on 26 June 2002, in a move that reunited him withBrian Horton, hismanager at Huddersfield.[7] He was signed as a replacement forSagi Burton.[8] After an initial shaky start,[8] Collins played 49 matches for Port Vale and was named theirPlayer of the Year in the2002–03 season,[9][10] later becomingcaptain.[11] In September 2003, he was given theSecond Division Player of the Month award,[12] as he settled into a highly successful centre-back partnership with new signingGeorge Pilkington.[13] At the end of the2003–04 season he signed a new two-year contract,[14] having put in a 47-match haul.[15]
Collins made 37 appearances in2004–05,[16] helping the club to avoid relegation with an 18th-place finish inLeague One.[17] His continuing strong performances in2005–06 led toChampionship clubPlymouth Argyle inquiring about signing him.[18] He rejected the approach,[19] and instead joined another Championship club,Hull City, on 2 November onloan from Vale, prior to a permanenttransfer for a £65,000 fee in January 2006.[20] Michael Talbot later studied him heading the ball as a model for the sculpture ofRoy Sproson that was installed at Vale Park.[8]
Collins suffered a knee ligament injury in February 2006, which ruled him out for a month.[21] He did not play again in the2005–06 season, which he finished with 18 appearances for Hull.[22] In November 2006, he was ruled out for the rest of the2006–07 season through another knee injury,[23] making only eight appearances.[24] He joinedSwindon Town on 28 September 2007 on a one-month loan,[25] after the club lost captainHasney Aljofree to injury.[26] He looked for a permanent deal at Swindon but made just four appearances as an abductor injury saw him sidelined. Swindon's financial problems ended any hopes of a permanent transfer.[27][26]
He signed for a nominal fee for League One clubHartlepool United on 31 January 2008.[28] After only several weeks with the club he was sidelined by an injury sustained from an awkward fall.[29] This came just days after assistant managerIan Butterworth praised Collins for "[adding] steel to the back four".[30]
He was appointed team captain at the start ofhis first full season with the club,[31] and made 48 appearances by the end of the campaign.[32] His consistency continued in2009–10, as he made 48 appearances.[33] He signed a new contract with the club in May 2010.[34] He was named as theLeague One Player of the Month for December 2010.[35] After making 49 appearances in the2010–11 season,[36] he signed a new contract with the club in May 2011.[37] Collins was hopeful that managerMick Wadsworth could lead the club to theplay-offs in2011–12,[38] although they could only manage a 13th-place finish.[39] He made 43 appearances in the2012–13 season,[40] as Hartlepool suffered relegation to League Two with a 23rd-place finish,[41] and was retained for a further season.[42] Collins made 43 appearances during the2013–14 season,[43] and was praised by managerColin Cooper for the positive influence he had on the rest of the team.[44] He was named in the Football League Team of the Week for his performance in a 2–0 win away toDagenham & Redbridge on 8 February, which was the team's thirdclean sheet in four matches.[45]
Collins played his final game in football on 22 November 2014 in a 3–1 home defeat againstYork City.[46]
Collins played as acentre back and was described in March 2011 by his Hartlepool United manager Mick Wadsworth as a "warrior" who "leads by example" and as a "fearlessheader of the ball.[47] Soon after signing for Hartlepool, managerDanny Wilson stated in February 2008 that: "He's a calming influence, he's a leader and that's what we needed in that backline. You'll get that consistency from him, he doesn't complicate his game."[48] He also had an excellent range to his throw-ins.[49]
Collins took on the role of assistant first andreserve-teamcoach at Hartlepool United in May 2014 when signing a new contract with the club, while remaining part of the playing squad.[50] After Colin Cooper resigned as manager of Hartlepool,[51] Collins was appointedcaretaker manager alongsideStephen Pears on 5 October 2014.[52] He took charge of four matches, overseeing one win and three losses,[53] beforePaul Murray was appointed as manager.[54] Murray was dismissed on 6 December after only 45 days in charge, and Collins was again appointed caretaker manager.[55] He took charge of one match, a 4–0 defeat away toBurton Albion on 13 December, beforeRonnie Moore was appointed as manager on 16 December, who then appointed Collins as his assistant.[53][56] Collins took over as caretaker manager on 15 January 2017 afterCraig Hignett left the club by mutual consent.[57] He was in charge for Hartlepool's 2–0 home win over Stevenage on 21 January beforeDave Jones took over as manager on 23 January.[58][59] Collins was dismissed by Hartlepool on 10 March, with Jones explaining the decision by saying: "We're changing the culture and the ethos here and when that happens sometimes there are casualties".[60]
Collins joined League One clubBradford City on 3 July 2017 as their Professional Development Coach, a role in which he "[worked] closely withStuart McCall andKenny Black in helping to bring forward the younger professionals within the first team squad".[61] He left his role with Bradford on 28 June 2018.[62]
Collins was appointed youth-team manager atNational League North clubYork City on 3 July 2018.[63] He took over as caretaker manager on 20 August after the departure of managerMartin Gray.[64] His first match in charge came on 25 August, when York drew 0–0 away toBrackley Town.[65] Collins recorded his first win two days later in the following match, with York beatingBlyth Spartans 2–0 at home.[66] He was appointed permanently on 10 October after the team won four of his eight matches as caretaker manager.[67] He was dismissed on 5 January 2019 with the team 15th in the table.[68][69]
Collins coached atBarnsley as their lead youth development phase coach before being appointed asMansfield Town's lead youth development youth coach in August 2020. On 28 October, he was announced to be part ofRichard Cooper's caretaker management team,[70][71] beforeNigel Clough was appointed as the club's new permanent manager on 6 November.[72] Collins returned to Barnsley as Senior Professional Development Phase Transitional Coach in October 2023, four months after departing Mansfield.[73]
Collins married Claire in 1999, and the couple have four children. After finding that Collins had been having an affair, Claire posted derogatory messages on Collins'Twitter account, which were widely reported in the tabloids.[74] She wrote in a separate message, "I hope he feels as meaningless as I do!"[75] In June 2022, Collins' son Cody signed his first professional contract with Mansfield Town.[76]
| Season | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 1996–97[77] | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 1997–98[78] | First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99[79] | First Division | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | |||
| Bury | 1999–2000[80] | Second Division | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2000–01[81] | Second Division | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |
| 2001–02[82] | Second Division | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Total | 82 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 2 | ||
| Port Vale | 2002–03[9] | Second Division | 44 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 49 | 5 |
| 2003–04[15] | Second Division | 43 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 4 | |
| 2004–05[16] | League One | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 2 | |
| 2005–06[22] | League One | 15 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Total | 135 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 149 | 11 | ||
| Hull City | 2005–06[22] | Championship | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07[24] | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08[27] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2007–08[27] | League One | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Hartlepool United | 2007–08[27] | League One | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| 2008–09[32] | League One | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2009–10[33] | League One | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2010–11[36] | League One | 42 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 49 | 2 | |
| 2011–12[83] | League One | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2012–13[40] | League One | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2013–14[43] | League Two | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[46] | League Two | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 244 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 269 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 525 | 19 | 22 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 586 | 19 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Hartlepool United (caretaker) | 5 October 2014 | 23 October 2014 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 025.0 | [52][53][54] |
| Hartlepool United (caretaker) | 6 December 2014 | 16 December 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | [53][55][56] |
| Hartlepool United (caretaker) | 15 January 2017 | 23 January 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | [57][58][59] |
| York City | 20 August 2018 | 5 January 2019 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 038.5 | [64][68][84] |
| Total | 32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 037.5 | |||
Individual
