Father figure James Collins prefers being the daddy off the pitch rather than on it

Sep 19 2010 by Mathew Kendrick, Sunday Mercury

HE’S happy to be the daddy off the Villa Park pitch – but Aston Villa star James Collins says suggestions that he is the ‘old man’ of the claret and blue dressing room couldn’t be further from the truth.

Collins is revelling in the responsibilities of parenthood after his partner Samantha gave birth to their first child just weeks before Villa’s campaign kicked off.

So, while he and his Villa team-mates were anxiously awaiting confirmation of manager Gerard Houllier’s arrival, Collins knew exactly who his new boss at home was – three-month-old son Dylan.

The strapping defender doesn’t lose any sleep over facing Premier League centre forwards on thefootball field during some bruising battles.

And it is exactly the same in his family life where he is doing his fair share of nappy-changing and hoping that Collins junior sticks to his routine of snoozing through the night.

“He’s as good as gold – he’s brilliant,” said Collins. “I haven’t found it hard at all because the missus has been great.

“He’s three months now and he’s been sleeping through pretty much from the off so I can’t complain.