Roddy Collins

RODERICK COLLINS JR., the captain who led Chesham United to the Southern League Premier Division South title last season, joined AFC Totton on a permanent deal in October 2024.

The versatile Irish-born midfielder had trials with Brackley Town and Crystal Palace in his youth, and went on to play for League of Ireland clubs Monaghan United, Athlone Town — where he won the First Division title — Derry City, Drogheda United and Waterford. He sailed back across the Irish Sea to join Hemel Hempstead Town in 2018, before moving to Hayes & Yeading United and then Kings Langley.

Roddy signed for Chesham United in December 2021, and fitted straight into the team at The Meadow, before a knee injury kept him out for most of the 2022/23 season. But he returned to captain The Generals to the Southern League Premier Division South title, usually operating in midfield but playing in central defence when the Buckinghamshire-based team beat The Stags 2-0 under the shadow of the Chilterns in March 2024, to open up an unassailable gap over Jimmy Ball’s men that they maintained until the season’s end.

That June, Roddy signed for the former Southampton defender Paul Wotton at Torquay United. The Gulls narrowly avoided relegation from the National League South in 2023/24 and saw the 30-year-old Collins as the right man to add more solidity to their squad. However, after eight substitute appearances and only two starts in all competitions, an agreement was reached to terminate Roddy’s Plainmoor contract by mutual consent.

Roddy comes from strong sporting stock. His father, Roddy Collins Sr., is a former professional football player and manager in Ireland, where he played for several clubs during a 16-year career that also saw him represent Mansfield Town, Newport County and Cheltenham Town. As a manager, Collins Sr. had two stints in charge at Carlisle United, as well as spells at Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Athlone Town, most recently in 2018. He is now a renowned football pundit and broadcaster on Irish television and, two years ago, he released his memoir, which is entitled The Rodfather: Inside the Beautiful (Ugly, Ridiculous, Hilarious) Game.

Collins Jr. is also the nephew of world champion boxer Steve Collins, who was the WBO middleweight champion in May 1994 and became super-middleweight champion the following year, beating Chris Eubank and twice successfully defending his title against Nigel Benn in 1996. Roddy’s younger brother, Podge Collins, is also a boxer.

A wet Tuesday night at Plymouth Parkway’s Bolitho Park would — with all due respect to the good people from the village of Manadon, Devon — be few people’s ideal setting for their club debut. But, with club captain Mike Carter injured and Charlie Kennedy suspended, Collins equipped himself well in the centre of midfield, using his wealth of experience, honed over the course of approximately 400 appearances, and his vocality to lead and cajole his new teammates from the middle of the park.

His return from a short spell out of injury has coincided nicely with the recovery of club captain Mike Carter from a longer term issue, boding very well for The Stags as they enter the 2024/25 title run-in.