Exeter City will try to get Jay Stansfield back on loan again

“We would love to have him back and he is always welcome at this football club.”

Exeter City will ‘try very hard’ to convince Fulham to let them take Jay Stansfield on loan for a second successive season. The 20-year-old capped his memorable and emotional return to St James Park with a final day hat-trick for his boyhood club.

Stansfield scored nine goals in the season for the Grecians as he became the youngest player in the EFL to score a hat-trick this season. He added a further eight assists in the 43 games he played for City since his deadline day arrival on loan from the Premier League club.

He was given a standing ovation on the final day of the season when he was substituted off in what could be the final appearance in a red and white shirt. And unsurprisingly, City would love to have to bring the attacker back to Devon for another season – although City manager Gary Caldwell admits that it might be difficult to do so.

“We are trying,” he said, when asked if there was any chance that Stansfield could come back for a second season. We would love to have him back and he is always welcome at this football club.

“He is a fantastic character, trains the right way, works extremely hard and he has the potential to be brilliant. It has been a pleasure working with him this year and if the opportunity comes again we would love to work with him again.

“I went to Fulham three days after the last game of the season and said I was missing him and went to see him. I spoke to Fulham about it but I think it will be difficult and the hat-trick killed us.

“I did think about taking off after the second goal to stop that, but everyone knew what was coming, and so I couldn’t deny him that. If he doesn’t come back then he has that to remember for the rest of his life and he will always be welcome back. But we will try very hard to get him back.”