Lee Collins

Club

_Deceased Soccer

Position

Defender

Nationality

England

Date of birth

1988-09-28

Birthplace

Telford, England

Height

5 ft 11 in (1.81 m)

Weight

83 kg (183 lb)

Signing / transfer fee

Free

Lee Harvey Collins (28 September 1988 – 31 March 2021) was an English professional footballer. He was more comfortable as a centre-back, but could also play as a full-back. He scored 8 goals in 471 league and cup appearances over the course of a 14-year professional career in the English Football League and National League.

He graduated through the Wolverhampton Wanderers Academy to turn professional in February 2007. He spent much of the 2007–08 season on loan at Hereford United, helping the club to win promotion into League One. He joined Port Vale on loan at the start of the 2008–09 season, and his loan stay was made permanent in January 2009. He played 53 games for the club in 2009–10, and continued to be a key member of the defence in 2010–11. He joined Championship club Barnsley on loan in March 2012, with a view to a permanent deal in the summer. From Barnsley, he was loaned out to Shrewsbury Town in September 2012. He back into League Two with Northampton Town in February 2013, and spent over two years with the club before moving on to Mansfield Town. He signed with Forest Green Rovers in May 2017 and stayed with the club for two seasons before joining non-League Yeovil Town in June 2019. He served Yeovil as club captain until his death, at the age of 32, in March 2021.

International career
Collins was called up to the England under-19s, but did not earn a cap. Despite this he did not rule out one day playing for the Republic of Ireland, who he qualified for through his Irish father.

Style of play
Collins could play anywhere in defence, though preferred to play at centre-back. Port Vale manager Micky Adams claimed that Collins always gave his all in training, and was a "remarkable athlete... terms of fitness." In February 2010, teammate Marc Richards said that "he reads the game well, he's fast, he's strong... strength and pace, and he's got vision as well."

Personal life
Collins attended Thomas Telford School as a youth, alongside fellow professionals such as Elliott Bennett and Danny Guthrie. Also attending the school was future Port Vale teammate Sam Morsy. Collins and his partner had three daughters, born in 2010, 2016 and 2017.

Collins was convicted of assault in April 2013 after punching and kicking a man at a pub in Wellington, Shropshire the previous year. He was given a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years, 150 hours of unpaid work, 12 weeks of curfew and a fine of £2,500.

Death
On 31 March 2021, Collins