New AFC Wimbledon signing Michael Collins believes there is not a huge difference in quality between the squad at the Cherry Red Records Stadium and the one he left behind at high-flying Scunthorpe United.

Collins completed his loan move to the Dons last week and made his debut in the 1-0 defeat to Bury on Saturday.

It was Wimbledon’s fourth defeat on the bounce, plunging them down to 16th in League Two.

Meanwhile, at Glanford Park, the Iron knocked five past Portsmouth to extend their unbeaten streak to go level on points with league leaders Chesterfield.

“There’s a lot of good players here,” Collins said.

“There’s not a huge difference between the squad here and Scunthorpe, it’s just sometimes when you get that bit of confidence and little bit of momentum it can carry you a long way.

“I look at Scunthorpe, now on a 16-game unbeaten run, and you know any team in this division is capable of doing it if they get that little bit of momentum.”

The 27-year-old midfielder joins the Dons having missed most of the season through injury, ironically collected in KT1 during Wimbledon’s 3-2 victory over Scunthorpe back in August.

Having returned to full fitness but being unable to break back into Russ Wilcox’s side, Collins is hoping he can bring a wealth of experience to Neal Ardley’s struggling Dons.

He has made more than 100 appearances for Huddersfield Town, has a handful of Republic of Ireland U21 caps and was club captain at Scunthorpe before his injury.

The deal, he says, was pushed through quickly after being alerted to Wimbledon’s interest and after a quick chat with Callum Kennedy, who signed for Wimbledon from Scunthorpe at the beginning of the season.

“I spoke to Cal, he was very positive about the manager here, and he said I’d enjoy it and to be honest it was done as quick as that,” he said.

“I obviously know a bit about the history of AFC Wimbledon reforming and I think what they’ve done is brilliant.

“It’s a new experience for me, being away from my family for the first time in my career, coming down to London, but at my age I don’t see that being a problem.”

Collins signed for Wimbledon until the end of the season, when his contract at Scunthorpe also runs out.

Wimbledon Times:

Influential: Callum Kennedy, Michael Collins' former team-mate at Scunthorpe, helped made up the midfielder's mind over a loan-move to the Dons