Collins started his career in the Welsh leagues with Mold Alexandra and Buckley Town before joining Chester City in 1996.

Following his return to Chester, Collins became a regular in the side and produced some fine performances which attracted the attention of Sunderland who bought him for £140,000.

Collins spent five years in the North East making over 150 appearances and earning two promotions to the Premier League during that time.

After losing his place in the squad he joined Ipswich Town on loan in September 2011 and then West Ham United in March 2012.

It was after a successful spell on loan at Vauxhall Motors that his career started to take off, having been converted from an unconvincing forward into a composed central defender.

His time at Vauxhalls included helping them surprisingly knock Queens Park Rangers out of the FA Cup in November 2002.

Collins later regained his place following the arrival of manager Roy Keane and won another championship medal come the end of the season.

[16] Collins begun the 2010–11 season in good form and has stated that he needs to keep performing well if he is to hold his left back position.

[24][25] He made his debut on 10 March in a 1–1 home draw against Doncaster Rovers coming on as an 80th minute substitute for Kevin Nolan.

[36] He scored his first goal for the club on 19 November 2016 from a corner, he placed a header from close range to take the lead in their 3–0 victory at Plymouth Argyle.

[37] Having been ever-present under Paul Hurst and new manager Marcus Bignot, Collins agreed to extend his contract until the end of the season.

[40] Collins suffered a broken arm in the 3rd league game of the 2018–19 season, scans revealed he had fractured his right ulna, he underwent surgery the following Sunday.

Two months after the match, Collins withdrew from the Wales squad to face Germany and Slovakia in the qualifying round of UEFA Euro 2008.

[48] Having previously fallen out with Toshack over being left on the bench during a friendly match with Paraguay in March 2006,[49] Following the resignation of Toshack and the appointment of Brian Flynn as Wales caretaker manager, Collins, who had not been called up since 2007,[46] was selected in the Wales squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches in October 2010.

"[29] Collins now works for Sunderland as a matchday commentator and club podcaster, alongside Frankie Francis, after relocating back to the north east with his family after retiring from playing.