Aaron Collins has written a heartfelt message to supporters following the play-off heartbreak against Oxford at Wembley.

Ian Evatt’s men were beaten 2-0 after a first-half brace from Josh Murphy, missing out on promotion to the Championship.

The Whites failed to register a shot on target against Des Buckingham’s side in front of 70,000 supporters at the national stadium.

Collins is “absolutely gutted” with the result and apologised to the fans for the lacklustre display in the capital.

The Welshman admits it is tough to explain how so much went wrong on the day but is determined to bounce back and put things right next season.

He wrote on social media: “Absolutely gutted, Saturday is going to hurt for a long time. Sorry to our fans who have backed us all season.

“Hard to explain the way we performed which is the most disappointing thing as we let everyone down. Only we can make amends and will do everything to make that happen.”

Collins arrived from Bristol Rovers in the January window, becoming the club’s most expensive signing in a decade.

It took the 26-year-old a bit of time to adjust to Wanderers’ system but he soon started to show why Evatt was so keen to bring him to the North West, scoring a brilliant hat trick in the 5-2 victory against Reading.

He also scored a stunning strike in the play-off semi-final second leg against Barnsley, firing past Liam Roberts from the edge of the area at a crucial stage in the contest.

Collins ended up with nine goals in 22 appearances for the Whites, including a clever finish against his former club at the Memorial Stadium. He also produced a moment of quality to head home Nat Ogbeta’s cross in the 1-1 draw against Portsmouth.

READ MORE: Ian Evatt fully expects play-off final pain to linger at Bolton Wanderers