NEILL Collins will make his final Hartlepool appearance at Oldham this afternoon and, while the environs of Boundary Park might not be the most glamorous, the accomplished defender is already setting his sights on the Premiership.

Collins has made 24 appearances for Pool since making a loan move from Sunderland at the start of the season but, on Monday, he will return to Wearside in an attempt to aid the Black Cats' bid for top-flight survival.

The odds are against them but, for Collins, confounding predictions has become something of a habit. Few expected the 22-year-old to get anywhere near Mick McCarthy's first team when he made a £25,000 move from Dumbarton last summer. Instead, he went on to make 14 senior appearances as Sunderland romped to the Championship title.

Similarly, few predicted that a rookie centre-half could handle the rough and tumble of League One when Collins moved to Victoria Park this summer. Four months on, and the end of his partnership with Micky Nelson is an occasion to be mourned.

So while the youngster's Premiership ambitions may initially appear far-fetched, it would take a brave gambler to bet against him forcing his way into McCarthy's plans before the end of the season. Strange as it seems, it could yet be a case of Oldham today, Old Trafford tomorrow.

"It's great to think I might get a chance at Sunderland now," said Collins, who skippered Dumbarton as a teenager to underline his obvious leadership skills. "Who wouldn't want to play in the Premiership? It's everything a boy dreams of and I have thought about since I was a wee boy.

"I'm not going back to Sunderland as the boy from Dumbarton who is there for the ride - I'm going there with some good experience behind me and trying to prove myself.

"I think I've progressed as a footballer since I came to Hartlepool and that's what I came here to do. I feel I've done well at a good club.

"Since I moved to England, this is the longest run of games I've had and I feel confident I can go on and play anywhere now."

Sunderland's scouts have kept a close eye on Collins' performances for Pool, with McCarthy becoming something of a regular observer at Victoria Park.

The Black Cats boss will surely have noted the youngster's increasingly mature displays despite Pool's mixed form during his four-month stay.

"I've been here to do my best for Hartlepool," said Collins. "And I'd like to think I've not let anyone down. I've played my part while I've been here and it's been a great experience."

Collins' enthusiasm can only be fuelled by McCarthy's long-standing willingness to give his youngsters a chance. The likes of Ben Alnwick, Danny Collins, Justin Hoyte and Andy Welsh have all been given an opportunity to impress this season despite their tender years. Tellingly, Chris Brown was also parachuted straight into the first-team after he returned from a similarly successful loan spell at Hull.

There are no guarantees that the same will happen to Collins but, after admitting that loan football teaches lessons that cannot be learned in the reserves, McCarthy hinted the youngster should expect to be involved sooner rather than later.

"I'm bringing him back because he has had his time at Hartlepool and has done really well," said the Black Cats boss. "I would like to see him come back here and see how he does.

"Neill is probably thinking that five or six games in the Premiership would be better for him. I'm not saying he's going to get those games, he will only get them if it's right. But if he got five or six - maybe ten with some (substitute) appearances - he would benefit from it.

"He will already have benefited from being at Hartlepool.

"He will have learnt things that even me, as a centre-half, can't drill into him."

Collins will play in another one of those games this afternoon. Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat to Southend left Pool cursing their luck for the umpteenth time this season, and imbued today's game at Oldham with added importance.

"It wasn't to be the other night and that seems to be the story of the season," added Collins. "We put in a good performance, but didn't take our chances. The boys here realise that and they will turn it around."

* Pool boss Martin Scott has every faith in his squad and in their ability to get the results their play has deserved.

On Wednesday, Pool lost 2-1 at home to Southend in a game they dominated.

And, after similar hard luck stories against Walsall and Colchester in recent weeks, the Pool manager knows his side is on the right track.

"Our away form has been very good this season and I felt we were unlucky not to get a win at Barnsley on Boxing Day - but that's not the first time I've felt like that this season,'' he said.

"We keep believing in what we are doing and, as long as we continue to play in the manner we have been, results will come.

"I cannot fault the players of late. All we need is some luck in front of goal and to start finishing teams off when we are on top.

"The league is very tight and you can fly up the table with successive wins - we have seen that once this season and now we want to do it again."

With Thomas Butler out for around a month after damaging a hamstring in midweek, John Brackstone could be recalled at left back with Ritchie Humphreys playing further forward on the left flank. Darren Williams may replace Darren Craddock at right back.

Covers were removed yesterday from the Boundary Park pitch and, with temperatures set to rise, the game should go ahead.

Pool (probable): Konstantopoulos, D Williams, Nelson, Collins, Brackstone, Clarke, Clark, Sweeney, Humphreys, E Williams, Llewellyn.

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