Aaron Collins, in many ways, is emblematic of Bristol Rovers' season. He started poorly but has outlasted the turbulence to cement his status as a driving force in a late push for the League Two play-offs.
Against a backdrop of injury problems and underwhelming returns from his striking department, manager Joey Barton has stated multiple times this season the Gas have been making do without a recognised number nine.
That process has doubtless been frustrating, with the lack of a physical focal point due to Leon Clarke and Ryan Loft's injuries and Brett Pitman's struggles to fit within the system before he was loaned to Eastleigh. Makeshift setups have been used instead, relying on flair players like Collins, Antony Evans and Sam Nicholson to do the heavy lifting in attack.
But coming out the other side, Rovers are better for it. That's because Collins has developed his game. Forget a square peg in a round hole, Collins is more Swiss army knife – capable of doing multiple things and doing them well.
The Welshman may have arrived at the Mem from Forest Green Rovers as a number 10 who could also hold his own out wide, but he has responded in a time of need for the Gas to become a credible threat as a number nine.
Collins failed to score in his first 18 appearances for the Gas, but he has come a long way from the timid, profligate player who endured a painful night at Exeter in the EFL Trophy in the autumn. After missing several golden chances to get off the mark that evening, it was hard to see where a goal was going to come from.
But all he needed was a boost of confidence. Like many of the new signings from the summer of 2021, Collins felt the weight of disappointment that spilt over from the previous season's relegation and the expectation that Barton and his new group would immediately put things right.
It took a moment of magic against Oxford United in that FA Cup epic to get him off and running and he has only flourished since. His tally of eight goals makes him Rovers' leading scorer and he is an automatic selection in the side to the point that Loft and Clarke are going to find it hard to get back in when both are fully fit.
Collins development was encapsulated in his performance against Sutton United on Tuesday. Direct service to his head and chest may not be his forte, but Collins battled for aerial duels and gave the centre-backs very few easy moments.
His natural instincts as a 10 mean he is comfortable coming towards the ball and either taking part in the build-up play with his back to goal or receiving possession on the half-turn and driving towards the goal.
All these attributes, in addition to an electric turn of pace that punished wandering Sutton goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis, hard running in the channels and a penchant for scoring spectacular goals, have seen Collins develop into the all-round threat that Rovers need.
Ten perhaps remains his best position, but there is a strong argument that he is Rovers' most effective nine over 90 minutes.
Barton agrees that in less-than-ideal circumstances, Collins has emerged as a better player.
"Certain circumstances force you out of your comfort zone," the manager said. "When you get out of your comfort zone you can learn and really develop your game.
"There have been many times in the season where somebody has got to do a job for the team. Their attitude and application in and around that can sometimes be the difference.
"It’s really pleasing to see Aaron now because he was really struggling for confidence. He looked like he’d lost belief in himself in the early part of the year. As a coach, you can’t really help them, especially when you’ve got a passionate fanbase behind them because they expect excellence. They’re quite demanding and the players have got to rise to the challenge and meet it.
"It’s not for everybody as the last couple of years will attest to. Not many can deal with the intensity of playing for a club this size at this level. But, I was always confident in Aaron. We pursued him over the summer. We felt he could have given us that X-factor and we would have wanted to play him with a nine to compliment him because we didn’t feel he was best suited to that.
"But as it is now, he’s playing at the level where we have to play him. He’s a constant menace and credit to him. He’s worked his backside off to get himself in that position and now it's starting to bear fruit for him. Goals, assists and all that will start to flow now for Aaron."
There is no such thing as a perfect player, particularly in League Two, and there remain areas for Collins to improve. Finishing and chance conversion was the knock on him when he left FGR and he has certainly improved in that regard – the opportunistic winners against Walsall and Hartlepool showed a ruthless streak in the big moments – but there is still work to do.
He knows he should have scored a much simpler goal in the first half before his sublime strike from an ever-narrowing angle to make it 2-0 25 seconds into the second stanza.
But it is abundantly clear the self-doubt that gripped his Rovers start has been eradicated. The confidence Collins is feeling is apparent for all to see and his own development has mirrored the team's dramatic improvement since the start of the season.
If the Gas are to mount a charge towards the play-off places, Collins no doubt will play his part.
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