Collins praised every point towards MK Dons' promotion campaign
The former Bolton Wanderers man played down his big moment this season
Every point en route to promotion was important, Aaron Collins said after MK Dons secured their spot in League One for next season.
The Welshman scored one of the most important goals of the campaign though when he slotted home a penalty in stoppage time at the Abbey Stadium to snatch two points away from promotion rivals Cambridge United to draw 1-1, sparking a run of four consecutive wins thereafter.
While his may have been one of the most memorable moments of the season, as he leapt into the travelling support to celebrate his equaliser, Collins said every one of the 85 points picked up this season has been as valuable as the rest.
“Every point you add up is important, and there have been a lot of them this season,” he said. “They all add up and to get it done a week early is great, so now we’re aiming for the title.”
Saturday’s win over Tranmere Rovers was well in hand after 20 minutes after goals from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Alex Gilbey put Dons 2-0 up, before Callum Paterson’s header with 12 minutes remaining settling the tie beyond any doubt.
Able to lap up the moment for the remainder of the game, Collins, who came off the bench in the game, said: “For the last 10, 20 minutes you could see we were enjoying it. It’s a good feeling! We were 3-0 up, we knew the job was nearly up and then to see the fans coming onto the pitch to celebrate with everyone, you can’t beat that. That’s why you play football.”
He continued: “I came here to do the job, and we’ve got it done. It’s a great feeling. When you come together at the start of the season you aim for promotion but getting the job done is easier said than done. We did it today with one to go, and we can go and win the title next week which will be a lovely touch.
“We came here for one job, which was to get promoted. It’s a brand new team, new management, the owner pushing for promotion and we did what we needed to do.”