DOMINIC COLLINS is excited about the prospect of playing for Chester next season.
The 20-year-old defender has joined the Blues from Northwich Victoria after signing a one year deal.
Collins impressed Chester boss Neil Young when the Blues faced title rivals Northwich last season, and he is now keen to play a key role at his new club after seeing off-field problems result in Northwich being relegated to Division One North for the start of the new campaign.
“I can’t wait for the season to get started after speaking to Neil Young about his plans for Chester,” Collins said.
“I’m really excited about playing for the club because I feel they definitely have a bright future after doing so well in their first two seasons.
“It was a no-brainer joining Chester because they are a massive non-league club with a superb ground and a fantastic fanbase.”
Collins will be expecting to compete with club captain George Horan, Players’ Player of the Year Michael Taylor, and former Chester City centre half Paul Linwood for a place in the defensive unit next season.
He added: “Competition for places will be tough, but I hope I can win a place in the team.
“I’ll be learning from the more experienced players around me in the squad and I see the competition aspect as a big plus because it will help sharpen me up and be good for the team.
“I just need to get my head down, work hard, and look forward to getting started.
“I’ve signed a one year deal at Chester, but if I do well and the club goes up I know that I will put myself in a good position to negotiate for an extension to my current deal and provide myself with more opportunities.”
Collins was previously with Preston North End and spent time on loan at Crawley Town before joining Northwich where he forged an impressive central defensive partnership last term with club captain Ian Kearney.
He said: “There were a lot of positives for me last season at Northwich. I thought I did really well and I was more than happy to reach the end of the season with an injury free campaign.
“Neil admitted he had been impressed when he saw me play against Chester in our two league matches and I know he travelled up to Kendal to watch me, but I was on the bench that day.
“I’m really looking forward to playing for Neil because, like me, I know he is ambitious, and I feel the Chester fans deserve more success.
“It was amazing to play in front of a record 5,000 crowd when Northwich played Chester towards the end of last season.
“I haven’t had any experience of playing in the Conference North after playing in the Northern Premier League for the last two seasons, but I don’t think the Conference North is much different to the level of football that I and Chester have been used to.
“I just hope I can help Chester celebrate another title-winning season.”