MICHAEL Collins may be a novice in head coach terms but he is well drilled in the trials and tribulations of the game.

Less than a week since his surprise appointment at Valley Parade, the league’s youngest boss has got his feet firmly under the desk.

As the return to pre-season approaches on Thursday, Collins is braced for the size of the challenge.

He knows how tough and uncompromising the game can be from personal experience.

It’s less than two years since he was training on his own without a club after circumstances conspired against him.

An eye-opening spell playing in India, where he won a title with Ashley Westwood’s Bengaluru FC, had the side-effect of dropping him off the map as far as English teams were concerned.

Then a badly-timed foot injury when he was set to win a contract at Blackpool left him and his young family in an uncomfortable no man’s land for six months.

Looking back on that experience now, City’s head coach can put some perspective on the weight of expectation he has inherited at Valley Parade.

“There are all different kinds of pressure,” he said. “There’s the every-day pressure of just being able to provide for your family, which we all go through.

“I’ve had times in my career where I’ve been staring into the bleak situation and not even been sure about how I’m going to do that.

“But all that experience, as much as it was not enjoyable at the time, shapes you towards something.

“I’ve started this process towards the transition into coaching a long time ago, probably in the middle of my career.

“I’ve always been passionate about the game and asked questions. Why are we playing 4-4-2 or 3-5-2?

“I’ve always been intrigued and have had that natural interest. That’s grown and grown and snowballed together with all the other experiences like the time I spent out the game.

“It all just shapes you towards being ready for something like this when it’s presented to you.”

Those managers he has worked under before, the likes of Peter Jackson at Huddersfield and Michael Appleton for Oxford, will provide useful ports of call as he continues to learn the ropes.

But Collins insists he will be very much his own man.

“I’m open minded and you’ve got to take on board as much as you can.

“But I’ve also got to shape my own personality now. I’ll take little pieces from everybody and advice given to me but I’ve got to be my own person.

“I’ll be viewed as quite young but that’s not a big issue. I believe I can put together the right characteristics to deliver as a head coach.

“But there are plenty of people within the game I can tap into for experience and I will do that.

“I’ve already had a bit of a text interchange with Michael Appleton and he will be a great one to chat to.

“We struggled when he first came into Oxford. There was a lot of pressure and talk of him moving on.

“He was resolute enough and had the backing of the chairman, which I would also like to think we have here.

“He saw it through and steadied the ship and the following season delivered promotion.”

Collins also has Greg Abbott’s know-how to fall back on. He sees that as a huge asset as he learns in the job with fellow rookie Martin Drury.

Collins added: “Greg has been very supportive. He said he had watched me work and felt I had lots of characteristics about how I coach that transfer across.

“He understands I’ve got ambitions as a head coach. For him to be willing to add his input made it an absolute no-brainer for me.

“I’ve known Martin about three years and I think he’s one of the best I’ve worked with at any level.

“The first time I met him, he was just talking about how he would do things. It wasn’t in a far-fetched way but in how he researched the game and he had me gripped.

“I played in the Championship, League One and League Two and was fortunate enough to go away with Ireland at under-21 level where I worked with Paul Clement, whose gone on to the Premier League. In my opinion, Martin can be just as good.

“We feel we have the characteristics to make it a success. With a club this size, you don’t dive into things without giving it a lot of thought. People expect you to deliver.”