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Rarely has a celebration been as symbolic as Aaron Collins’ acrobatic effort to mark his first Bolton Wanderers goal.
Flipping into the air in front of the North Stand, seemingly out of control, he staggered after planting his feet back on terra firma and then stood tall, raising his arms aloft with a look of pure relief etched on his face.
Collins’ Wanderers career has amounted to just six hours of football to that point. His first few seconds on debut had been explosive, a brilliant cross to find Zac Ashworth for an equaliser against Barnsley, but two starts and four more appearances off the bench thereafter seemingly had him wobbled.
A composed finish against Cambridge presents the Newport-born striker with the stability his early days since becoming Ian Evatt’s most expensive signing have lacked.
Bolton’s hectic fixture schedule has offered little time on the training ground to settle and learn in the traditional sense, and Collins has been holed up in temporary accommodation while he completes a house move – an effort which is thankfully now close to completion.
Having played in the South West for Bristol Rovers and Forest Green since 2019, Collins admits it has been a huge chance since upping sticks to Lancashire.
“A lot of people don’t see what’s going on – the day to day life. And it has been tough,” he told The Bolton News.
“I have lived back home with my friends and family all within 10 minutes of me for the last five years.
“I’m up here now and stuck in a hotel 24-seven, you get out and see the lads, go for food and stuff, but it is tough. I have to get over that and get everything sorted.
“Football-wise it has been great. I have been bedding in, the lads have been great, staff have been great, I feel like I am learning. I have been doing a lot of clips with the gaffer and learning what he wants from his strikers.
“I felt against Cambridge I did more in the right positions, where the team needs me as well as where I need to be to affect the game like I can.”
Collins has been frustrated by the fact his first goal did not come sooner but also has designs on becoming Wanderers’ top assist-maker in the coming weeks.
At Bristol Rovers he was often looked to as the source of inspiration, at Bolton the role and style of football played requires some adjustment.
“It is completely different – and I have to get used to that,” Collins said. “It can work with a click of the fingers, or it can take time, and I am bedding my way in.
“The manager has been great, I’ve been trying to find my feet and it was great to get that first goal because now I can kick on. I know there will be chances created by this team.”
Wanderers go to Barnsley on Tuesday night looking to emulate their 3-0 victory in the regular season, rather than follow the nervous 1-0 defeat in the play-off semi-final five months later.
Recent form has meant the South Yorkshire side have clawed back some ground on Evatt’s men and raised the status of this fixture as one they cannot afford to lose.
Collins feels the win against Cambridge was well-timed, restoring whatever lost spirit they had suffered from the previous two defeats at Blackpool and Wigan.
“Coming to the club, the lads have been full of confidence,” he said. “The last two performances before Cambridge were not good enough but we’d been unbeaten in however many games before that, so there is pressure, obviously, but that is what we live for. I saw Rico say it yesterday, we don’t come to this time in the season to be mid-table, we are here to challenge for promotion. It is what you live for as a footballer and you have to deal with pressure and win games when you are under it.
“There are 11 games to go, and that is plenty of time to go and secure that first or second spot. You never know what is going to happen and the main game is always the next one now, that’s Barnsley.
“We want to beat them and prove that we should be there in the top two.”
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