IT WAS a night of contrasting emotions for Newport’s James Collins on Wednesday as he produced a brilliant individual performance but saw Wales slip to a 1-0 defeat in Monchengladbach.

Starting his first match since January after nine months out with a serious knee ligament injury, Collins was the outstanding player on the pitch but his efforts and those of his teammates were ultimately in vain.

Piotr Trochowski beat Wayne Hennessey with a stunning strike 18 minutes from time to condemn Wales to another plucky defeat away from home.  “Everyone is disappointed. We played really well and another wonder goal has killed it for us,” said Collins.

“I knew as soon as it left his foot it was going in. It was a great strike. H e was cutting in all night and finally one of them went in but we’ve got to pick ourselves up now. We’ve got two massive games to stay in the group.

“If we’ve got any aspirations of qualifying we need to beat Finland and Germany at home and then we’ll be right back in it.”

On his own display, the West Ham centre-back modestly deflected the praise, although he admitted he was pleased to be back on the big stage after so long on the sidelines.

“Coming back against a team like this away from home is brilliant,” he said.

“I knew I was fit to play and I’d been looking forward to it all week but I ’m just glad to have come through it without any injury worries.

“I feel better than ever now, my knee is fine. I love playing football and I’ve missed it so I’m delighted to be back.”

Newport-born Chris Gunter was full of praise for Collins and also picked out goalkeeper Hennessey after his fine display.

“James was great and Hennessey was unbelievable. He showed he is a top ‘keeper,” said the Spurs full-back, who had a rare sight of goal late in the game.

“I saw it late and maybe I should have done better,” he admitted. “(Craig) Bellamy had a chance or two as well but they had lots of chances too.

“I think we did well to come to Germany and get to 0-0 in the 70th minute. We knew we weren’t going to see much of the ball but I think we looked dangerous on the break.

“We just need to stay positive and keep going, as difficult as it is.”

Meanwhile, Craig Bellamy claims Wales’ under-21 stars can give the nation’s World Cup hopes a major boost but only if they are playing regularly for their clubs.

It was a familiar tale of so near and yet so far for Welsh football this week with the senior side going down 1-0 in Germany and the youngsters edged out 5-4 on aggregate by England at Villa Park.

With the next two World Cup qualifiers at home to Finland and Germany in six months, Wales captain Bellamy believes young stars like Aaron Ramsey, Gwent’s Jack Collinson and striker Simon Church, whose grandparents are from Newport, can make the step up but he questioned why they can’t get a game at club level.  “Ramsey is just special, he’s a one-off,” said Bellamy. “I just hope he keeps going and keeps improving for Welsh football.

“The whole team was remarkable, watching the match against England I was just in awe of them and the manager Brian Flynn.

“But none of them are playing for their clubs. We need these boys to be getting regular football. They’re good enough – they showed that – so why aren’t they playing?”

Like the rest of the team on Wednesday night, Bellamy was a downtrodden figure after the match in Monchengladbach.

“It was a great defensive display, we threw everything at it and we were very down in the dressing room,” said the 29-year-old.

“We played well and I thought we probably deserved a draw for our efforts but the Germans will think they deserved the win.

“It’s never over until it’s over and it was the same old story for us with a late goal.”

With two wins and two defeats from four games Bellamy is still optimistic about Wales’ chances in the group.

“I’ve played in better Welsh teams who have really struggled away from home,” he said. “At least now we are putting a performance in at places like this and we were always in with a shout.

“Probably our two worst performances have brought us wins and our two best defeats but we’ve got the hardest games out of the way now. The next match against Finland will be absolutely crucial for us.”

Manager John Toshack has warned his side that they cannot afford to lose any more games.

Wales were 18 minutes away from clinching a vital point against the Germans on Wednesday night but Piotr Trochowski’s wunderstrike finally broke the deadlock and left the visitors empty handed.

Just as in Russia last month Wales produced a brilliant backs-to-the-wall performance but with nothing to show from either match Toshack knows there can be no more defeats if they are to qualify for South Africa 2010.

“We’ve got the two toughest away games out of the way now and we’ve just missed out on both occasions,” said Toshack.

“From our next two games in March and April, at home to Finland and Germany we need a minimum of four points, anything less than that and we’re out of it. And we would probably need the six points.

“There were similarities to Russia, although I thought we looked more likely to get something in Moscow than against Germany.

“The fact that we’re all disappointed after these games is a good sign because Germany are a top side. It was a great effort but in the cold light of day we’ve lost and that is disappointing.”

One major plus point for Toshack was the performance of Newport’s James Collins, who was making his first start since January after recovering from a cruciate knee injury.

“I had my doubts about bringing James back in for his first game in such a big match,” said Toshack, “but very often the first game back you concentrate more, you see things clearer and you’re more enthusiastic and he was outstanding. They all were.”