James Collins: Hibernian sign Swindon striker for £200,000

Hibernian have completed the £200,000 signing of Swindon striker James Collins.

The 22-year-old had been at the League One club for a year, having joined from Shrewsbury last summer.

"I'm really excited about joining Hibs and playing in the Scottish Premiership," he told the club's official website.

"It will be a new challenge for me and I'm aiming to adapt quickly and to score goals for the team."

Pat Fenlon has been aiming to bolster his attacking options following the loss of 39-goal forward pair Leigh Griffiths and Eoin Doyle.

Griffiths has returned to League One club Wolves after his loan spell finished, while Doyle has signed for Chesterfield.

Collins said he was impressed by a tour of Easter Road and was relishing the prospect of playing for the Edinburgh club.

"Once the bid to Swindon was accepted, the manager showed me the stadium and training centre and it was a real eye-opener; I didn't realise just how big the club is," he said.

"So it was a really easy decision for to make and now I'm just targeting a good run of games in the side and to score some goals.

"I'm moving from the third tier in English football to the top tier in Scotland, which is quite a big step, but I'm confident I can make an impact and settle in quickly."

Fenlon said he had been tracking his new recruit for some time.

"We've been watching James since he was at Shrewsbury, so we're really pleased to be able to add a quality striker like him to the squad," said the Hibs boss.

"He is a bright, lively striker and he has been brought to the club to score goals. He will add further quality to our forward line."

Swindon paid a tribunal-set fee of £140,000 plus add-ons for Collins and will owe the Shrews 20% of any profit made by the sale of the striker.

The former Aston Villa trainee scored 18 goals in 51 appearances for Town last season.