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George Lloyd loves life at Grimsby Town after making the loan switch from Cheltenham Town on January deadline day and has the full backing of the Mariners coaching staff.

The 23-year-old scored his third Town goal in a 1-0 win over League Two cellar club Rochdale at the weekend and has five goal contributions in total in eight starts for Paul’s side. hurst.

It’s fair to say he’s been a crucial addition to the team at a vital time with the league calendar busier than ever due to earlier postponements and the club’s historic FA Cup run. Unfortunately, Lloyd is cup-tied having played for his parent club in this year’s competition, but having a positive outlook has allowed him to stay fresh for the league campaign.

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Lloyd said: “Not being able to play in the FA Cup gives me a bit more time to freshen up for league games compared to others, which has helped somewhat because going from not playing any games (at Cheltenham) to playing every week is a difficult transition.

“I’m quite happy to be involved as much as I am, it’s frustrating not to be able to play in the cup, but I’m looking forward to the lads getting that opportunity. The league schedule is relentless and you can’t think much about the games once they’re gone because soon you’re on to the next one.”

When a player fits well at a loan club, questions often begin to arise about his long-term future and whether he would be the best fit to make a permanent move. Based on his performances so far, he looks like a good fit for Town, but the player himself is focused on making the most of this season.

The Cheltenham loanee said: “We still have eight or nine weeks left in the season and almost double that in games and a lot can happen between now and then, so there’s no point in having discussions with either party about my future.” . . I am enjoying my football at the moment and I continue to do so.

“There’s only one league game I haven’t started in since I’ve arrived, so the opportunities I’ve had have been absolutely brilliant because I didn’t think I’d play as much as I’ve done so far. Since my first day here, everyone at the club has been brilliant to me, and it’s a really nice dressing room to be a part of.”

Based on comments from Grimsby first-team manager Ben Davies, Lloyd certainly has the backing of the club’s coaching staff. The player was given a challenge when he first joined the squad to establish himself as a goal-scoring striker for the team, which he has done so far.

“It’s been brilliant,” Davies admitted. “He has brought much-needed support with some of the injuries we’ve had recently. The good thing about George is that he can push back defenders and keep the ball at his feet, as well as run from behind.

“He has rhythm and is good in the air, so he can play as a pair of forwards or just up front. It’s good to see him get some sort of goal return because we challenged him when he came in to come out and score goals for us and more importantly the game-winning goals that he’s scored for us.”

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