JAMES Collins hopes that scoring goals for Darlington can push him closer to the Aston Villa first team.

Having been prolific at youth team level with the Premier League club, Collins scored his first league goal in Quakers’ 2-1 defeat at Hereford United on Saturday.

Although it proved little more than a late consolation, the 18-year-old aims to score plenty more during his threemonth loan.

He said: “I’m here until January and the gaffer has brought me in to score goals, so I would like to score as many as I can for him.

“I’m a first year pro now and in the reserves. I train with the first-team now and again but I’ve come on loan to Darlington to get a bit of first team experience.

“That’s the idea of sending me out on loan, to get closer to the first team at Villa.

“In two seasons in youth football I probably scored around 65-70 goals.

“I train with Villa’s firstteam once or twice a week and it’s never easy but you get used to the tempo after a while.

“Stilian Petrov and Gabby Agbonlahor are good to play with in training.”

Saturday’s game was a second outing in Quakers’ colours for Collins, having made his debut last week against Barnet.

He added: “I was hoping to get on the scoresheet last week in my first game so it’s good to get a goal today, but disappointing to lose.

“Things haven’t started well because we’ve lost both matches, but I was happier with my own performance today than I was last week.

“For the goal it was a nice move down the left and I managed to put it away. The goal was OK but I should have scored in the first half too.

“Even though I scored, I would rather have won.”

Collins is one of five loan players with Darlington and manager Steve Staunton expects almost all of them to be available for the FA Cup tie at Barnet on Saturday, with Jamie Chandler the only one whose status is not yet confirmed.

Staunton will this week seek permission from Sunderland to use the midfielder at Underhill.

Meanwhile, Darlington’s youth team drew 0-0 at home to Hartlepool on Saturday.

Quakers were without defender Dan Burn who was an unused sub at Hereford.

Burn, who has this season was called up by the England boys club under-17s side, travelled with the first team squad for the first time as Ian Miller was unavailable having suffered concussion during last week’s defeat at Barnet while Rikki Bains is not rated by Staunton.