Collins was a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating 0-0 draw
Archie Collins was a bright spot for Huddersfield Town in an otherwise frustrating 0-0 draw with 10-man Mansfield Town at the weekend, as he finds his feet with the Terriers.
The summer arrival came on in place of Ryan Ledson, who picked up an injury in the first half and was forced off and the former slot in well alongside Cameron Humphreys in the centre of the park.
Their midfield pairing performed well, but ultimately, Huddersfield were stifled by the hosts, who went down a man just a couple of minutes after the interval.
Collins said: “Overall, it’s disappointing, just because of the way the game turned out, and they went down to ten men. We had basically all of the chances, but on another day it’s three or four, but today we couldn’t manage just to get the one.
“There are things we can look at and definitely build on. So, we have got to stay calm, and go again next week. You’ve got to give some credit to Mansfield, because it is a tough place to come and they have a good home record.
“Every game is a different challenge, but because of the way this one turned out, there is an element of frustration with the result because of the standards we have set ourselves as a team to start the season.
“There is nothing wrong with that, so we’ve just got to keep battling away, and it’ll come. There are a lot of different ways we can score goals as a team, which makes it frustrating when we don’t.”
Terriers boss Martin Drury has called for his team to be more incisive in the situation they found themselves in at Mansfield, but from the players’ perspective, there is an added challenge to breaking down a side whose only concern is defending their goal, as Collins noted after the red card.
The 27-year-old added: “It’s difficult, and in some senses it is harder [to play against 10], for as much possession we had, we still had to be watchful of the counter, and we just couldn’t quite finish off the chances at the other end.”
Having arrived at the club later in the window, Collins has had to wait for a proper chance to show his quality ahead of the more established members of the squad or those who have had a pre-season to learn Drury’s system and get used to their new surroundings.
Having got his first start against Doncaster last week, he then came on earlier than expected at the weekend and is starting to find his feet with recent involvement.
He explained: “We had a midweek game, and I was able to get 90 minutes in that, so I’ve just got to keep building myself up. Hopefully, I can make an impact on the team along the way as I get stronger.
“I’ve had to be patient coming in late, but everyone in the squad has a role to play to help the team out, so when I’m out there I’ll try and enjoy it in the best way I can.”
