COLLINS MAKES PRESENCE FELT
THE biggest compliment you can pay Cardiff City after their opening win of the season against Norwich is that so many players were contenders for the man-of-the-match award.
Ryan Allsop was different class in goal, Ryan Wintle bossed proceedings in the middle of the park and Cedric Kipre was outstanding.
But the official award went to Jamilu Collins who, to be fair, was many supporters’ pick of the bunch against the Canaries, if social media is anything to go by.
While many players in Steve Morison’s new-look squad are relative unknowns to Cardiff fans, Collins will have been the player supporters knew the least about heading into the opening game of the season. Well, we are one game in and it’s fair to assume that Bluebirds fans know exactly what he is about.
The physically imposing left-back embarked on mazy, marauding runs up and down City’s left-hand side for the whole 90 minutes, dovetailing nicely with fellow newbie Callum O’Dowda on that wing.
He was also awkward and difficult to deal with. The ball would bounce off him at awkward angles and he would always keep it in play even when the opposition thought they had the respite of him mis-controlling one into touch.
He had a few hair-raising moments running back towards his own goal, clearly determined not to just hoof the ball anywhere and wanting to adhere to the new passing mantra strictly. The fleet-footed Allsop got him out of a jam once or twice in that regard.
“In Germany, it’s a good league. But the intensity here is really high,” he said.
“Every two seconds it’s like ‘attack, attack!’”.
Well, he was just about as relentless an attacker on Saturday afternoon as anyone. He had fans on the edge of their seats.
While Mahlon Romeo perhaps acted the more cautious, defensively conscious of the two full-backs – and you need a nice blend – Collins’ jetheeled bursts were a hallmark of his game.
Some thought that reverting to a back four, rather than having outand-out wing-backs, might hinder Cardiff’s go-forward slightly, but it shows that, with the right personnel in place, a conventional left-back can have a telling impact in that regard.
And, lest we forget, the 27-year-old was up against Josh Sargent on the opening day, no slouch and a player who turned out 26 times in the Premier League last season.
The Canaries man got very little change out of him, which is to Collins’ credit.
Speaking of the Premier League, the dangling carrot for the 24 Championship clubs each season, it’s clearly the aim.
While few will dare to stick their head above the parapet and mention promotion, it’s not difficult to ascertain that it is on every Championship player’s mind. And Collins is no different.
“My agent was the one who Cardiff contacted, they approached me and he told me about it,” said the Nigeria international.
“I was excited about it and I told him ‘Yes, make it happen. And it’s come true.
“I know the club has ambition and I know Cardiff is a big club. I know they want to be in the Premier League and, it’s too soon to speak, but hopefully, with our good work, we are heading towards it.
“From the first day I just feel like I’ve been here for two years.
“The guys have settled and we are just rolling together every day.”
While Cedric Kipre and Andy Rinomhota could also lay claim to being the embodiment of this bloodand-thunder approach, Collins was, for many people’s money, the standout in that regard.
It’s only one game, yes, and he is the type of player who might have dips or a defensive lapse or two in him.
But fans have really taken to him already and that much is clear to see.
All he needs now is a goal, maybe like the one against Bayern Munich which he scored for SC Paderborn in the Bundesliga, and he will cement himself as a true fan favourite.
“I hope I get a better one than that!” he said with a big grin.