Collins hails full back Stacey for yet another assist

The defender escaped down the right flank once more, found by Andrew Shinnie’s perfectly weighted pass, delivering a low cross for Collins to tap home at the back post.

A stat by Blades Analytics on Twitter shows that Stacey is now easily the most creative full back in the EFL, with Collins usually the recipient.

The striker said: “Last year, I hammered it into him that I’ll always be in the box for him, so if he gets his head up and tries to pick me out, he can.

“To be fair to him this year, he’s picked me out a number of times and he’s been one of the outstanding performers this season.

“He’s been excellent for me and put it on a plate for me and I can’t thank him enough really.

“They’ve got a great relationship Shins and Stacey, they’re two good footballers and Stace is such an honest runner, he wants to attack more and more and more and he doesn’t stop running.

“He’s added that quality now, once he gets into those positions, he’s finding people and he’s got a big future ahead of him.”

Fellow full back James Justin can’t believe that opposition sides aren’t starting to pick up one of the Hatters’ main sources of goals this term.

He said: “Stacey’s doing it at both ends of the pitch at the moment and it just seems like every week the same combo.

“Shins getting it, slipping through to Stace, Stace across and Collo there to tap it in, or someone else to tap it in.

“It’s just, if teams watch us play, they must see that!

“I’m not sure what’s happening, what they’re doing?

“It’s just credit to those three and what they’re doing on the pitch.”

After Collins put Town ahead, Luke Berry doubled the lead on 39 minutes.

Rovers pulled one back through Jonson Clarke-Harris on the stroke of half time, but Hatters held firm in the second period.

Collins said: “They put us under pressure the first 10 minutes and I thought we handled it really well.

“They’ve got a striker in hot form at the minute as well, so to limit them to a couple of chances on their own patch, it’s credit to the boys.

“It was a bit of a nitty gritty game, but you’re going to get that away from home.

“They know what they’re doing, they’ve got some really experienced lads, but I think we coped with it really well.

“We’ve got players in this team that commit people, so there’s always going to be fouls given, and I think we saw the game out really well.

“It’s not an easy place to come, so to get three points was massive for what we want to achieve and we thoroughly deserved it.”