Francis Collin

Last updated

Frannie Collin
Personal information
Full name Francis John Patrick Collin [1]
Date of birth (1987-04-20) 20 April 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Chatham, England
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Faversham Town
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2005–2007 Gillingham 9 (1)
2007–2010 Dover Athletic
2010–2013 Tonbridge Angels
2013–2016 Maidstone United
2016 Leatherhead
2016–2017 Hastings United
2017–2019 Margate
2019–2021 Hythe Town
2022 Ashford United 18 (3)
2022–2024 Hythe Town 66 (14)
2024– Faversham Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:27, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

Francis John Patrick Collin (born 20 April 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Faversham Town.

Contents

Career

Collin is a former England Schoolboy under 18 international. After having trials with various clubs during his youth, including Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, he eventually signed professionally for Gillingham. He made his debut for the first team with a goal in Gillingham's 2–0 win over Crawley Town in the Football League Trophy first round. In October 2005 he signed his first professional contract with the club and scored his first league goal against Hartlepool United in a 3–1 defeat on 1 November 2005.

Collin found first team opportunities at Gillingham limited and most of his appearances came as a substitute. Collin's spell at Priestfield was ended when Gillingham released him in May 2007. He was subsequently signed by former Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler at Dover Athletic in June 2007, [2] and signed a new one-year contract in May 2008. [3] The following season saw Dover Athletic clinch the Isthmian League Premier Division title with the help of Collin's 21 goals and he extended his stay at Dover in May 2009 by signing another contract with the Kent club. He left the club at the end of the 2009–10 season to join Tonbridge Angels.

In his first season with Tonbridge, Collin bagged 21 goals in all competitions from 43 appearances, with 16 coming from 40 appearances in the league. He was named Tonbridge Angels player of the year for the 2011–12 season and won the Golden Boot for the Conference South in the same season with 29 league goals.

In the 2013 close-season, Collin announced he was leaving Tonbridge Angels after three years at the club. After much speculation, which saw the player linked with Conference South clubs Sutton United, Whitehawk and Dover Athletic, Collin signed for Maidstone United, who had just been promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division.

On 7 January 2022, he signed for Isthmian League South East Division side Ashford United, having been without a club for over a month following his departure as player/coach for divisional rivals Hythe Town. [4]

In June 2022, Collin returned to Hythe Town in the role of player-coach. [5]

In June 2024, Collin joined Southern Counties East Premier Division side Faversham Town. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Hessenthaler</span> Footballer and manager (born 1965)

Andrew Hessenthaler is an English football manager and former player who is head of recruitment at EFL League Two club Gillingham. He began his career in non-league football and did not turn professional until he joined Watford at the age of 26. In 1996, Hessenthaler joined Gillingham and spent the next ten years at the club as player and later player-manager, managing the club to its highest ever finish in the English football league system and becoming regarded as a legend of the Kent club. After leaving Gillingham, he had a short spell at Barnet, before joining Dover Athletic in 2007. In his two seasons in charge he led the club to successive championships, of Isthmian League Division One South and the Isthmian League Premier Division. After three years at Dover, he became manager at Gillingham for the second time, but his contract was terminated at the end of the 2011–12 season. He returned to the club as assistant manager in 2014, before taking on a similar role at Leyton Orient the following year. In 2016, he was appointed manager of the club, but was sacked later the same year. In November he was appointed manager of Eastleigh, but the following year left to return to Dover, where he stayed until January 2023.

Jonathan Kevin Wallis is an English footballer.

Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is an English former professional footballer. He was a versatile player who could play as a striker, on both left and right wings and attacking midfield.

Danny Hockton, is an English footballer who plays as a striker. Hockton last played for Isthmian League Division One South club Faversham Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Elder</span> English footballer (born 1985)

Nathan John Elder is an English former professional footballer who is assistant manager of Hythe Town. He played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Shrewsbury Town and Hereford United.

Luis Cosme Cumbers is an English footballer.

Matthew James Bodkin is an English footballer, who plays as a winger for Chatham Town.

Mark Lovell is an English footballer. He briefly played professionally for Gillingham. He is the son of former Welsh international striker Steve Lovell, and the grandson of former professional footballer Alan Lovell.

Jason Warren Lillis is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made a total of 151 appearances scoring 22 goals in the Football League playing for Gillingham, Maidstone United, Carlisle United, Walsall and Cambridge United.

Thomas William Murphy is an English semi-professional footballer.

Darren Hare is an English football coach and former player, who is interim assistant manager of Ashford United.

Stefan Steve Payne is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Faversham Town.

Ashley Jordan Miller is a footballer who plays for Isthmian League South East Division club Deal Town.

Daniel Trevor Kedwell was an English footballer who played as a forward. He has spent most of his career playing non-League football, but played in League One and Two during a four-year spell with Gillingham, his hometown club. He is currently manager of Ashford United.

Dean James Robert Rance is an English footballer who plays for Folkestone Invicta as a defensive midfielder.

The Kent League was a football league which existed from 1894 until 1959, based in the English county of Kent. Another, unrelated, Kent League was formed in 1966, and is now known as the Southern Counties East Football League.

Joshua Darren Hare is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Dagenham & Redbridge. He will become a free agent on 30 June 2024.

The 2018–19 season was Gillingham's 126th season in their existence and sixth consecutive season in League One. Along with League One, the club also participated in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.

The 2018–19 season was the 104th season of the Isthmian League, which is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from London, East and South East England. This was also the first season to consist of four divisions after the league reorganised the former South Division into the new South Central and South East divisions. The league was also known as the Bostik League under a sponsorship deal with Bostik.

The 2006–07 Kent Football League season was the 41st in the history of Kent Football League a football competition in England.

References

  1. "List of players under written contract registered between 01/07/2016 and 31/07/2016" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 33. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. "Two ex-Gills for Hessenthaler". NonLeague Daily. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  3. "New deal for Collin". NonLeague Daily. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  4. Panting, Matthew (7 January 2022). "Ashford United sign former Maidstone and Tonbridge striker Frannie Collin from Hythe Town". Kent Online. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. "Cannons bring in Brickies striker..." www.isthmian.co.uk. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  6. @FavershamTownFC (3 June 2024). "Town are excited to welcome @10_frannie, previously with Maidstone, Ashford, and Hythe, to the team. Frannie knows manager, Tommy Warrilow well and will be a great asset for us in the 2024/25 season as we aim for promotion. 🦁🦁🦁⚪️⚫️" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 June 2024 via Twitter.