Grealish accepted apology
NATHAN COLLINS apologised to tackle victim Jack Grealish and to his own Wolves team-mates for his sending-off against Manchester City – but he will never be sorry to hear the verdict of his fiercest critics.
The centre-half returned to the Wolves ranks against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night following a three-match suspension for his waist-high lunge on England star Grealish in the 3-0 home defeat back in September.
And while he was sorry for the foul, he was equally as worried about what his family might say.
His father, two uncles, brother, and a host of other relatives, have all been in the professional game.
Collins said: “I spoke to Jack after the game. I was just waiting outside the dressing room, talking to the staff, and I saw him walk around the corner.
“I pulled him and just said, ‘Listen, there was nothing malicious in that tackle, I didn’t mean anything’. He said, ‘No problem’, so we moved on.
“It wasn’t something I’d planned to say but you want good connections in the game, so when I saw him I thought I’d talk to him. He understood and knew I didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”
Not that he would be allowed to, with the Collins clan keeping an eye on him.
The Ireland international added: “It’s a good thing to have. The family are ruthless, they’ll tell me if I’ve done something wrong. I need people like that. I need honesty.
“I talk to my dad every day, whether it’s football or not. We talk tactics. I talk to my uncle Eamonn as well. He watches my games online.
“As much as they are there to support me, they’re my fiercest critics.
“They tell me what to do – and I’m grateful and thankful to have them. If there’s no one there doing that, I’ll get satisfied and that’s no good.”