James Collins (footballer, born 1990)

James Collins
Collins in 2010
Personal information
Full name James Steven Collins
Date of birth (1990-12-01) 1 December 1990
Place of birth Coventry, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Lincoln City
Number 25
Youth career
2004–2009 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Aston Villa 0 (0)
2009–2010Darlington (loan) 7 (2)
2010Burton Albion (loan) 10 (4)
2011–2012 Shrewsbury Town 66 (22)
2012–2013 Swindon Town 45 (15)
2013–2014 Hibernian 36 (6)
2014–2016 Shrewsbury Town 68 (20)
2016Northampton Town (loan) 21 (8)
2016–2017 Crawley Town 45 (20)
2017–2021 Luton Town 174 (68)
2021–2022 Cardiff City 26 (3)
2022–2025 Derby County 97 (25)
2025– Lincoln City 20 (10)
International career
2008–2009 Republic of Ireland U19 6 (3)
2009–2012 Republic of Ireland U21 12 (3)
2019–2021 Republic of Ireland 13 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:59, 3 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2021 (UTC)

James Steven Collins (born 1 December 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League One club Lincoln City. Starting his career at Aston Villa, he did not break through to the first team and has since represented a number of teams in the English Football League and the Scottish Premiership.

Collins has won promotion from the fourth tier of English football four times so far in his career: twice as a runner-up with Shrewsbury Town, once as champions with Northampton Town, and most recently with Luton Town. He also twice gained promotion from the third tier of English football; once as champions with Luton Town, and most recently with Derby County.

Born and raised in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior international debut  and scoring  in 2019 in a friendly match against Bulgaria.