Jimmy Collins (footballer, born 1937)


James Collins was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Lugar Boswell Thistle, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, and a number of English non-League clubs.

Life and career

Collins was born in Sorn, Ayrshire. He began his football career with Lugar Boswell Thistle, and was capped twice at Junior level in 1956, before joining Tottenham Hotspur in June of that year. The inside forward featured in two first team matches in 1961 for the Lilywhites and made his senior debut against West Ham United on 23 August 1961. In October 1962, Collins signed for Brighton & Hove Albion, where he was appointed captain and went on to score 48 goals from 221 appearances in all competitions. He left the club at the end of the 1966–67 season for Wimbledon of the Southern League, where he spent four years, and then played for Stevenage, Southwick, Shoreham and Saltdean United. Collins died in Shoreham-by-Sea in 2018 at the age of 80.