Aaron Collins swapped a place in Bolton's squad for a fresh start with MK Dons last June, dropping a division in the process and arriving with the expectation that he would dominate the Sky Bet League Two campaign. His reputation preceded him: the 2024/25 season had seen him crowned Wanderers' Player of the Year after netting 19 goals and providing five assists across 55 appearances in all competitions.
After a routine medical check in Dubai—taken during a post‑season holiday that also included stops in Thailand and Bali—he signed for the Dons as their record acquisition, a deal reported to be worth around £800,000. The club and its supporters were eager to see a return on that investment. Unfortunately, the opening chapter of his MK Dons story began with a setback.
In his very first home match, a fixture against Oldham on 2 August, Collins suffered a broken shoulder. "In the first game of the season I ended up breaking my shoulder," he recalled. "It should have been a penalty, but I didn’t get one, which made it even more frustrating.
I played on thinking it was just a jar, then an X‑ray on Monday confirmed the fracture and I was out for six to eight weeks. It felt like a punch in the gut because I was so keen to make an impact for my new club." The injury forced him to miss six league outings and the Carabao Cup first‑round loss to Bristol City. He finally returned to the pitch as a substitute in a 1‑1 draw at Chesterfield on 13 September, and three days later celebrated a goal in a 5‑1 Vertu Trophy defeat to West Ham United's Under‑21 side. Yet his comeback was short‑lived; a hamstring pull in a training session later that week sidelined him for another two months.
"I’d never been in that situation before," Collins admitted. "I’d never had an injury that kept me out for more than a game or two. It was mentally draining. I thought I could go through my whole career without being injured, but it happened and everything happens for a reason." The enforced pause gave him a chance to empathise with teammates who had endured similar hardships.
"I could put myself in other people’s shoes, understand what they were feeling. That perspective was surprisingly refreshing for my mental health," he said. Collins earned his first league start since that opening‑day injury in a match against Harrogate Town, played five days before Christmas.
He marked the occasion with a brace in a 4‑0 victory, reigniting his confidence. "The excitement came back," he said. "I thought this is the time to kick on and show why I’m here." By mid‑February, after roughly three months of uninterrupted availability, Collins appeared to have put injuries behind him.
He scored the decisive goal in a 1‑0 win over his former side Newport County on 14 February, only to be forced off again in the same match, along with teammate Callum Paterson, after both suffered ankle‑ligament damage. Initial medical reports suggested Collins might need surgery.
"It felt like something was trying to take the season away from me," he reflected. "We were only 12 or 13 games from the end of the campaign. Paterson’s injury was worse, so I wanted to return as quickly as possible." Remarkably, he missed just two games and returned after a ten‑day recovery period, having managed swelling and pain through diligent rehabilitation. "The main thing has just been being back in the starting XI; I feel I can affect the game a lot more when I start.
I’m just playing my game, trying to be that focal point," Collins explained. With Paterson sidelined, the onus fell on him to fill the void left by a player who had been in scintillating form. "Bad luck comes in threes, they say, but I’m done. Now I can concentrate on being back in the team and playing a massive part in getting this team promoted," he added.
As the season draws to a close, MK Dons sit on the brink of promotion with only two fixtures remaining. A three‑year spell in League Two—the longest stretch in the club’s brief history—appears set to end. Collins has tasted promotion before, lifting Bristol Rovers from the same division in 2021/22, a night he celebrated by climbing atop a traffic light.
This time, he jokes, he might find himself perched on a roundabout instead. "There’s plenty to pick from round here!" He summed up his feelings about the promotion chase: "There’s a saying in football that there’s no better feeling than promotion. I probably spent about 50 % of this season injured, but being able to contribute in the other half and help a group of 25‑30 lads achieve promotion is a feeling you cherish forever.
I still think about the Bristol Rovers promotion—it was unexpected, a shock in a good way. If we get promoted here, it will be another enjoyable shock." Looking ahead, Collins hopes for a quieter, injury‑free season, but he knows the drama of this campaign will stay with him for a long time. The Dons’ final two games promise high stakes, and with Collins back to full fitness and intent on leading the line, the club’s promotion hopes appear brighter than ever.