Intervju med Collins på den offisielle hjemmesida. Virker som en hyggelig fyr. Kudos til Grayson som fikk hentet ham inn såpass kjapt.
New loan recruit Neill Collins is relishing the challenge of helping Leeds United win promotion back to the Coca-Cola Championship.
The 26-year-old was all set to make the trip to Middlesbrough with Preston on Tuesday morning when the call came through that Simon Grayson wanted to bring him to Leeds.
Grayson moved quickly in the wake of Paddy Kisnorbo suffering an Achilles injury on Monday evening, and by Tuesday afternoon, Collins had signed a loan deal with Leeds until the end of the season.
"I was on my way to meeting the point for Preston's game at Middlesbrough," the Scot told Yorkshire Radio.
"I then got a call saying not travel because I could be going to Leeds. It all happened very quickly. I went to Leeds yesterday afternoon to complete the formalities."
Collins only joined Preston in January for £600,000 from Wolves after initially impressing on loan, but following a change of manager, opportunities have been restricted under Darren Ferguson, and he now finds himself thrust into a promotion battle at a crucial stage of the season.
"I was delighted when I heard of Leeds' interest," said Neill.
"I was very keen to get there - everyone who comes says it's a huge club - and I want to help win promotion.
"The last few months have not been ideal. Things had been going well for me, I was playing every week, but the new manager came in and he has own ideas, and things change.
"Everyone wants to play football, but to come to such a club at such an important time makes it all the better.
"I'm at an age where I want to be playing and make a contribution. I see it as an upward move with the club's sights set on the Championship and it excites me.
"It's a great opportunity to come from a relegation battle to a promotion battle and hopefully help the club get a step closer to where it wants to be."
Neill has won previous promotions with Sunderland and Wolves, and is hoping he can bring added experience to the Leeds camp at what is proving to be a tense time.
"The experience should be a huge help," he said. "Obviously playing for Leeds brings pressure anyway, but I'd like to think I will thrive on it.
"Last year we hit a blip at Wolves, but that doesn't mean your season is in crisis. The lads at Leeds have done fantastic to get here and be here, and now it's a case of finishing it off.
"It shows you how well they played in the first half of the season. It's one of those things at the moment. There's nine games left and it's a great position to be in.
"It's a time for steady hands from everyone."
auren