Huddersfield Town's Collins brings shades of king Harold?

Jan 31 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Shades of king Harold?

MICHAEL COLLINS’ rampaging runs through midfield have been bringing goals – and memories for lifelong Town fan Bob Knowles.

The London-based season-ticket holder says the 22-year-old, who scored for the sixth time this season when Swindon were beaten 2-1 at the Galpharm earlier this month, reminds him strongly of Harold Hassall.

A Leeds Road hero of the early Fifties, Hassall is one of only 21 players to have been capped by England while with Town, his debut coming against Scotland at Wembley in April 1951.

And Knowles would be delighted if Collins, a Republic of Ireland Under 21 cap, goes on to win full international honours.

While academy product Collins comes from Halifax, Hassall hailed from Bolton, and was signed by Town as a 17-year-old under the noses of hometown club Wanderers, who were later to sign him in a club-record deal.

A scout had spotted the raw but talented inside-forward playing for Astley and Tyldesley Collieries, and his signature was sealed in September 1946.

Hassall had to wait almost two years for his first-team debut, a 1-1 top-flight draw with Arsenal at Leeds Road on the opening day of the 1948-49 campaign.

But there were to be only two more outings that season, and 11 the one after, before Hassall became a regular.

Five goals had already proved he had an eye for a strike, and Hassall emerged as rangy inside-forward, full of running and energy and with neat skills and a fine work ethic.

Sounds familiar? Certainly to Knowles, who says: “Collins has still to develop Hassall’s superb energy levels, usually lethal shot and hustling pace, but hopefully they will come and I would like it if Lee Clark played him further upfield, because I think he could develop into an excellent harassing, goalscoring forward.”