Heard the one about the footballer working in McDonald’s while trying to win a contract?

It’s a story that will follow Maidstone loanee Aaron Collins everywhere, particularly if he achieves his ambition of playing in the Premier League.

The striker, on a month’s loan at the Gallagher from Championship leaders Wolves, was playing for Newport County’s under-18s when he took a job in McDonald’s.

County had decided against giving him a scholarship and he needed the money while trying to prove himself in their youth team.

Under-18 boss Michael Flynn spotted his potential, recommended him to first-team manager Justin Edinburgh and his career took off with Manchester United and Newcastle soon linked with the young forward.

Collins, 20, said: “Going into pre-season in the second year of the under-18s I started to a get a sniff with the first team but I was still working in McDonald’s.

“Michael Flynn was doing his best to get me out of McDonald’s because I was working on a Friday night and playing for the under-18s on a Saturday but at the time I wasn’t earning any money with the club.

“He was pushing me and Regan Poole because he felt we were good enough and Justin Edinburgh, the manager at the time, liked us.

“In the September I signed a professional contract with Newport and was able to quit McDonald’s. I’d like to think I was good at it although I didn’t enjoy it at all.

“I just did it to get the money and it was the first job that came up, so I worked there for three or four months. I always thought it would be temporary.

“I was in football and that was my aim, to get a professional contract after not being offered a scholarship because I didn’t want to be working in McDonald’s. I wanted to be earning money playing football.”

Collins made his Newport debut in a Football League Trophy tie against Swindon in September 2014 and scored his first goal against Stevenage in League 2 the following season.

By now, he was hot property with reports of interest from United and Newcastle.

He said: “At the time there was a lot of publicity but I wasn’t going to get worked up over it because that would probably affect my football and affect me.

“I just tried to carry on as normal and I felt like I did that from the September to the January and then I got my move to Wolves.”

Read the full interview in this week's Kent Messenger.