"The best I've seen": Collins' finishing has wet Warne's whistle in training

Boss Paul Warne has been watching Aaron Collins with an air of ‘what might have been’ as the striker nears his return to action.

The former Bolton Wanderers top-scorer has just three appearances to his name since making the move from Lancashire in the summer, plagued by injuries which have barely allowed him on the field.

Initially, a broken arm suffered in the opening game of the season against Oldham sidelined him for six weeks. But after a cameo appearance in the league and a preparation game in the Vertu Trophy, Collins then suffered a hamstring injury which has kept him out since the middle of September.

While his eagerly awaited comeback has been mooted for several weeks, with the 28-year-old taking ever-increasing part in training alongside Warne’s first-team. And from what he has been doing in front of goal in training, Warne has been left to wonder how well his side could have fared had the Welshman been available in his arsenal this term.

“We did shooting in training the other day, and Aaron’s finishing is the best I’ve seen, that’s the honest truth,” said Warne. “It’s a joke. If we can get that into our team somehow, that would be great.

“It’s always the way when someone is out, they always get better. I think Aaron has loads of qualities. He had a really good second-half against West Ham, when he kept picking up the ball in pockets, shooting, laying off, and it makes me think about those game where we really could have done with his little bit of extra to get a goal out of nothing. The more players we can have to do that, the better.”

Collins and full-back Gethin Jones, who has been missing since late August with a similar hamstring injury, could feature as early as next Saturday’s trip to Tranmere Rovers, Warne added.

“Aaron Collins and Gethin Jones have been in the 11vs11 training, so hopefully they both get the full green light next week and they’ll have a proper run with the squad, and then if opportunities arise, they might be involved in the next game or maybe the game after. It’s great news.”