Dundalk F.C.

Date Of Birth:	7-Aug-1961
Place Of Birth:	Dublin
Total Appearances:	43
Total Goals:	8
Position:	STK
Nationality:	IRE
Debut:	25-Aug-1985 Leinster Cup (a) Bohemians 2-3 {scored}

Bio:

Just 18 when he made his League of Ireland debut with Bohemians in the 1979-80 season, Roddy Collins was a reserve player for his first couple of seasons, and after a year with Home Farm (1981-82) he returned to Dalymount and scored the extra-time winner when Bohs defeated Waterford in the final of the 1981-82 Blackthorn Trophy.

He was curtailed by injury that kept him on the sidelines for all of the 1982-83 season. A switch to the Turlough O’Connor-managed Athlone Town for the 1983-84 term brought a change of fortune, when he opened the season by scoring in both legs of the President’s Cup final against Bohemians and ended up leading League goalscorer (11) and all-games top marksman (23). He also scored in both legs of the Midlanders UEFA Cup tie against Standard Liege.

After a season at St Mel’s Park, he moved to Drogheda United for the last League of Ireland season before the split into a Premier and a First Division, with the Premier spots reserved for the leading twelve teams from sixteen. Although Roddy’s scoring form continued, the Boynesiders fell at the final hurdle, failing by a couple of points to make one of the top table spots.

For the 1985-86 season, Turlough O’Connor took charge at Oriel Park and Drogheda, keen on acquiring Mick Wright, offered Roddy plus £1,500 in exchange. Turlough needs were greater for cash and a striker and he grabbed the offer, to the disgust of Dundalk supporters who had just selected Mick as their Player of the Year.

Turlough had the last laugh—within a few months Roddy was on the move again. After just 15 appearances, scoring 5 goals, Mansfield Town signed him and Dundalk’s coffers grew by £15,000!

After three seasons in England, playing with Mansfield Town, Newport County and Cheltenham Town, he returned to Ireland, spending the 1988-89 year with Shamrock Rovers, before another stint at Oriel Park and his third under Turlough O’Connor. His season was confined effectively to bench duty and he was limited to three starts and four substitute appearances during the 1990-91 Championship victory.

After starting the 1991-92 year with Sligo Rovers, his club count by now had reached the dozen mark and it seemed no surprise that he left the Showgrounds after a half-dozen games, and by November he had made his first sojourn to the Irish League, joining Crusaders and where he would spend his longest club stint in his seventeen-year professional career.

By the time he departed from Seaview at the end of the 1993-94 season, he had made 100 appearances in all competitions and had scored 39 goals [League 61 apps and 24 goals].

Playing with a batch of Dublin players—that included ex-Dundalk players Martin Murray, Robbie Lawlor and Derek Carroll—he also picked up some competition honours as the Crues entered a period that would turn out to be their most successful ever.

The highlight of his three seasons was the League Runner Up award in 1992-93, losing out to Linfield on goal difference. His other Crusaders’ honours included an Ulster Cup win 1993-94 and the Co Antrim Shield runner up in 1993-94.

Roddy’s next club, Bangor, made a bright start to the 1994-95 year, winning the Ulster Cup in early October when defeating Linfield 2-1 in the final. And at the end of October they ran up their biggest ever win over Linfield with a 5-0 League win at Windsor Park. But the November departure of manager Nigel Best to Glenavon signalled a traumatic season end.

Amidst great controversy, Roddy was appointed player-manager in January and an unproductive 10-match stretch in the New Year with just one League win made for a very sticky last month with places in the new Premier Division for the following year at stake.

While his 11 all-games goals clocked up another topscorer award, after the club had scraped through into the last promotion spot, Roddy was sacked. Now aged 33, the close of his playing career consisted of a series of short spells, which saw him sign with five clubs in the 1995-96 term—July 1995 with Glentoran (did not play), September 1995 Coleraine (played in two Gold Cup games), Cliftonville October 1995 (released in November), December Bohemians (played in a Leinster Cup game) and he finished out the season with Home Farm.

He closed his playing career with the newly elected St Francis in the 1996-97 season, turning out for them in one match, a Division One Shield game. In his 18-season senior career, spent at over 20 clubs, his all-games goals scored exceeded 100.

As well as playing in both legs of Dundalk’s UEFA games against Wettingen in 1989, his other European ventures included Bohemians UEFA cup tie against Sporting Lisbon (1979) and he scored in Athlone Town’s 1983 Champions Cup 11-4 aggregate loss to Standard Liege.

Since retiring as a player, his career, alternating between spells as manager and pundit, has rarely been without controversy with the highlight undoubtedly coming in his term with Bohemians.

Surprisingly appointed manager after the departure of Joe McGrath in 1998, Roddy delivered the League/Cup Double in 2000-01, as well as defeating Aberdeen in the UEFA Cup and followed up in the next round with an away victory over Bundeslaga’s Kaiserslautern, losing the tie by a single goal.

However, in spite of these outstanding successes, by June 2001 Pete Mahon had been appointed to the manager’s chair in his place. Since that time, his career has lacked neither variety nor controversy without ever threatening to approach the successes of those heady Dalymount days.

Clubs as Manager: Bohemians (1998-99 to 2000-01), Carlisle Utd (2001-2003), Dublin City (2004), Shamrock Rovers (2004-06), Floriana Malta (June-Dec 2009), Cork City (Dec 2009 to Feb 2010), Monaghan Utd (March 2011) [Promotion], Athlone Town (Nov 2012) [First Division Champions], Derry City (Nov 2013 to May 2014) and Waterford United (2015).

Honours:

3 Wins: League 1990-91; League Cup 1989-90; Presidents Cup 1989-90.

Career Stats

Career League Stats
		Apps	Gls
Bohemians	1979-82	4(5)	2
Home Farm	1981-82	6(0)	2
Bohemians	1982-83	0	0
Athlone Town	1983-84	22(1)	11
Drogheda Utd	1984-85	28(0)	10
Dundalk	1985-86	9(0)	2
Mansfield Town	1985-87	11(5)	1
Newport Co	1987-88	5(2)	1
Cheltenham	1987-88	1(0)	0
Shamrock Rvrs	1988-89	22(0)	8
Dundalk	1989-91	13(5)	1
Sligo Rovers	1991-92	3(3)	0
Crusaders	1991-94	53(8)	24
Bohemians	1993(loan)	0	0
Bangor	1994-95	21(3)	5
Glentoran	1995-96	0	0
Coleraine	1995-96	0	0
Cliftonville	1995-96	6(0)	1
Home Farm	1995-96	6(2)	1
St Francis	1996-97	0	0
LOI		129	37
Irish League		91	30
E Lge		24	2
All		244	69