Aaron Collins scored five of the most valuable goals in recent Bristol Rovers history in the past fortnight, but it is his joyous antics in the aftermath of a remarkable promotion that have cemented his hero status in BS7.
The 24-year-old did some exploring of that postcode on Saturday night, climbing atop traffic lights in Gloucester Road in full kit as Gasheads revelled in the delight of a unique final day that saw Rovers muster a 7-0 thrashing of lowly Scunthorpe United to rip a place in League One from the clutches of Northampton Town.
Collins was instrumental in overturning Rovers' five-goal deficit on the final day, spearing a fierce strike into the corner to put the Gas three ahead early in the second half, raising faint hopes on the terraces that promotion was still in play. By the time Collins tapped in his second, making it 6-0 11 minutes from the end, the outcome appeared a certainty. However many goals Rovers needed at that stage, they would have got them.
Collins is one of the inspirations behind the level of sheer belief that underpinned Rovers' surge into the top three. Without his second-half hat-trick at Rochdale that rescued the most desperate of situations, the top three would have been out of reach for the Gas.
So after two more crucial goals that took his tally for the season to 18 and lifted Rovers into League One, the lad has every right to celebrate.
His Twitter timeline, chronicling a yet-to-conclude jolly in the aftermath of Saturday, has been content we never knew we needed. That interview with Cari Davies of ITV West Country in the moments after full time on Saturday will be played over and over again in years to come. International media attention has followed.
Barstool Sports covered his Gloucester Road antics and his interview was featured on TV in New Zealand. No Context Aaron Collins is also a thing, now (shoutout No Context Nick Anderton, too). We await more content from the squad's end-of-season trip to Dubai.
As a player on and off the pitch, he is just what Bristol Rovers has needed. He is relatable and connected to the supporters, a far cry from the team that was relegated so meekly the season before, playing in cavernous stadiums with fans feeling distant in more ways than one.
His own personal journey makes this moment of glory only feel more deserved. He narrowly missed out on promotion in 2020/21 with Forest Green Rovers, and the decision to return to the Gas – the Welshman played in the academy as a youngster – was not paying off early doors.
While Forest Green were soaring, Collins was not scoring. It took him 19 painful games to break his duck, the most agonising of which was perhaps the EFL Trophy defeat at Exeter City in November. That night, Barton played the kids, with a few rare exceptions in a bit to build confidence, form and match fitness.
Collins was leading the line and saw several chances to get off the mark go begging. "Aaron Collins could have had four goals at least in the first period," Barton told reporters after that night, without any exaggeration. It was that kind of night; instead of raising his morale, it must have been at an all-time low.
Barton remained confident would come good, but one sensed it would have to happen quickly with a chance to replenish resources coming just a few weeks later in January.
Things did start to change for the better, and quickly. Six nights after the St James Park struggle, he was equalising from 25 yards with his supposedly weaker left foot against Oxford United en route to a dramatic comeback win.
By the end of the calendar year, Collins had five goals in all competitions, but better was yet to come. He scored winners against Hartlepool and Walsall when Rovers were still struggling for form, and they have proved to be of huge value. A run of six goals in eight games followed soon after and his campaign ended with a five-goal blitz in the final two matches.
Like Rovers as a whole, he has grown and the thought of him stepping up to League One is exciting, but a wide-eyed naivety remains and it is just so refreshing. Every true football fan would be the same. Just like Gasheads, he is loving every moment, playing out his dreams.
This is a young lad just living his best life, and it's all the better that he's doing it in the blue and white quarters of Bristol Rovers.
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