James Steven Collins (born 1 December 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League One club Lincoln City.

Born and raised in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 levels[5] before making his senior international debut – and scoring – in 2019 in a friendly match against Bulgaria.

[18][19] Following the trial, it appeared that Collins had returned to The Villans; however it was reported that Aberdeen boss Mark McGhee had not given up on signing the player.

Caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald named the striker in his 20-man squad to travel to Rapid Vienna in the UEFA Europa League on 18 August 2010.

[27] Following an injury to midfielder Nicky Wroe, Collins temporarily assumed penalty taking duties for Shrewsbury Town, scoring from the spot in a 2–1 home win against Southend United.

[28][29] During the season, manager Graham Turner compared Collins to Wolves legend Steve Bull, due to his strength and determination, also commenting that he believed he could continue to improve his goal scoring record.

[30] In his first full season at Shrewsbury, Collins made 47 appearances, scoring 16 goals in all competitions, and was the club's top scorer as they won promotion to League One.

[39][40] Collins first league goal came eleven matches into Swindon's campaign and proved to be the winner despite being scored in the first minute against Bury on 6 October 2012.

Collins then added his second goal in the league the following match against the club he supported as a boy, Coventry, this time helping Swindon rescue a point on 13 October.

By the end of the season, Collins had scored 18 goals in all competitions, his last a consolation effort in a 3–1 loss against Scunthorpe United, who fell to final day relegation despite their win.

[46] Collins made his Hibs debut, making his first start in the opening match of the 2013–14 Scottish Premiership season, in a 1–0 loss against Motherwell.

[55] Following Hibernian's relegation, Collins re-signed for former club Shrewsbury Town on 4 June 2014 on a two-year contract with an option for a third year.

[57] The following month, he scored the only goal as Shrewsbury beat Norwich City in the League Cup, notably sending the club through to the fourth round of the competition for the first time since the 1986–87 season.

[62] Collins ended the 2014–15 season as Shrewsbury's top scorer, with 17 goals in all competitions as he won promotion to League One with the club for the second time in his career, having finished as runners up to Burton Albion.

[63][64] Collins began the 2015–16 with a goal in each of the opening two matches, a 2–1 home defeat to Millwall,[65] and a 2–1 away victory over Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup.

After scoring the only goal of the match, he won the plaudits of manager Micky Mellon, who commented that wearing the captain's armband had turned Collins into "Superman".

[76] In the 2018–19 season Collins was named the League One Player of the Year at the EFL Awards as he helped Luton to back-to-back promotions after scoring 25 goals as they move up to the Championship.

[102] He received his first call-up to the senior national team in March 2019, when Mick McCarthy named him in a 38-man provisional selection for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia.

[103] Collins made his full international debut for Ireland on 10 September 2019, coming off the bench to score the third goal in a 3–1 win against Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium.

[104] On 24 March 2021, Collins scored his first competitive goal for Ireland in a 3-2 defeat away to Serbia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

[107] In October 2011, Collins was arrested along with former Aston Villa teammate Barry Bannan after a Range Rover hit the central reservation of the M1 motorway in Nottinghamshire.