NEILL COLLINS has had ot overcome the culture shock of going from playing before 'one man and his dog' to performing in front of 30,000 fanatical supporters.

The former Dumbarton centre back, whose last game came in the 2-0 defeat at Millwall six weeks ago, is in line for a recall to Sunderland's side for the visit of Burnley today after a hamstring injury ruled Steve Caldwell out of the festive programme.

Collins has made six appearances for the Black Cats since his £25,000 move south of the border and filled in admirably when deputising for suspended skipper Gary Breen in October.

The 21-year-old revealed life was very different north of the border before his move to Wearside and admitted it has taken some time to adjust. "It's obviously a lot different in terms of the stadiums you play in, while the players are a lot stronger and faster," said Collins. "Everyone is fitter and it takes time to get used to, but it helps to play alongside players with experience.

"I did have a little word with Gary (Breen) and Mick (McCarthy) when I first played but it's not so much about what they think of things, it's more about learning about the game on the day.

"They can tell you what to expect from it and you can work on things in training but the only time you really get used to a game is on the day.

"I would like to think that on the occasions I did get a chance I did well and I would say I know what to expect from games in this league now."

When Collins deputised for his suspended skipper in the autumn he was performing in front of an audience of 25,000 to 30,000.

Playing in front of such a large, passionate crowd could intimidate the most seasoned professional, but Collins admitted it was more daunting playing in front of 'one man and his dog'.

The 21-year-old defender says he vividly remembers every ground he visited as a player in Scotland and confessed some were more memorable than others.

"At Dumbarton there was only a crowd of between 800 and 1,000, so when you are playing you can hear most little things.

" There was much more interaction with them,'' he recalled.

"Here, although there's probably more than 20 times the number of fans, you don't really hear them. It's more a blur and you don't notice them as much."

"There's no real lasting memory of someone shouting one specific thing towards us. It was just that you would hear any groan that came our way or any positive words.

"Some grounds are hard to forget however. A ground like Brechin is difficult to forget.

"Along one side of the park is just a big hedge and that's where the fans stand. It was a real eye-opener and a really tough place to go to."

When Collins joined the Black Cats from The Sons his schedule of two training sessions and a game a week doubled.

He said: "We used to train two nights a week. I used to go on runs myself and it was just at Dumbarton's stadium.

"It's a completely different world. There's nobody really in Scotland with this sort of set up. Maybe Rangers or Celtic, but this is totally different.

"I feel better, definitely. I used to work hard at Dumbarton. One night we would go on a long run or we would play football. Whereas here, you are in every day and you are doing different things every day.

"I am stronger and I would say I was faster. It would be hard not to experience changes. It's made a huge difference."

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