DAN COLLIER is hoping to be back in Plymouth Albion’s team for the visit of Ampthill to Brickfields on Saturday.
The experienced lock is back training after missing last weekend’s match at Blackheath due to illness.
“I am a lot better than what I was,” said Collier. “I had flu. I was just at home shivering in bed, feeling very weak and really nauseous.
“But I am hoping to be back this week. I’m just training hard now.”
London-born Collier was gutted to miss the trip to Blackheath. It proved an unhappy visit to the capital city for Albion who suffered their biggest defeat of the season, going down 34-3.
“Geoff (Griffiths), who was here at Albion when I was here, is at Blackheath so it would have been nice to have played against them and help the boys,” said Collier. “They obviously had a bit of a hard run out. I was missed at the end of the day and I missed playing.”
Collier is desperate to try and make up for last week against Ampthill, who are likely to include former Albion lock Ben Gulliver in their pack.
“They (Ampthill) have got a good amount of money behind them and they have brought in a lot of good players,” said Collier. “They look pretty decent on the (team) sheet.
“I have played against Gully (Ben Gulliver) before when he was at the Cornish Pirates.”
Ampthill, who can also boost Tongan internationals Aleki Lutui, Vili Ma’asi, Paino Hehea and Maama Molitika in their squad as well as former Albion back Elliot Clements-Hill, have only lost four games this season and all to teams above them.
But Collier said there is a determination in the Albion squad to try and make up for their 25-15 defeat against Darlington Mowden Park in their last home match.
“That was a game we should have won but we let it slip away,” said Collier.
“As a team we just have to keep on pushing forward now.”
Albion sit in mid-table in National One, but Collier, the oldest player in the Plymouth squad, said everyone at the club knew this season would be a rebuilding year.
Plymouth are regularly fielding five teenagers in their match-day squad, which Collier believes is good for the future.
“We knew we probably wouldn’t be going straight up with a brand new team,” he said. “This season is about building bonds between each other.
“I think given the age of the squad we are coming along well. At the end of the day, myself being the oldest and watching these lads come through and seeing what they can do is nice.”