Matt Taylor's hint on Tom Bloxham's future

The youngster was recalled from his loan spell at Morecambe earlier this week after making 24 League Two appearances for the Shrimps during his spell on the Lancashire coast.

But Taylor says Town will wait until after this weekend before deciding whether the 20-year-old will go out again.

“So Tom unfortunately cannot be involved this weekend because it is not until Sunday that his loan finishes,” Taylor said.

“So he has an opportunity to come back in and train with us. What we have said to Tom is that after this weekend we will make a decision that is right for him and that is right for the football club.

“He trained really well. He had a big smile on his face. We got, and Tom got, what he needed out of this loan, and that was to play 25/26 games, it was to be a regular starter, and he did that. So I had a conversation about that with him this morning.

“Listening to him, are we getting a better Tom Bloxham than we had at the beginning of the season? Yes, because he has played 26 games of football, the conversation with Tom will be around we know there is interest in him.

“But it is doing what is right for him and also what is right for the football club. Tom is a player who we know can affect games. It will just be a loan (if he goes back out again), look Tom is our player. I love what I saw in training in terms of what he gave us. He looks like a different animal on a football pitch and that is what playing regular men’s football would do for him.

“Have we made a decision yet on what we are going to do? No, Tom is our player. There is no way he will be leaving here in January on a permanent transfer, the only way he will be leaving here is if it is right for Tom and if it is right for us.

“If it is right for us to keep him and for Tom to stay and play games then that is what he will do.”

Meanwhile, Taylor also confirmed Town had spoken to defender Tom Flanagan after he appeared to criticise the club’s recruitment on the radio after the Wrexham defeat, with the head coach saying ‘the matter is now closed’.

“That has been dealt with in-house,” he continued. “I had a good conversation with Tom, and he is well aware of what we expect as are all of the other players when they are doing media and broadcast and they are representing the football club – it is as simple as that. The matter is closed, but yes Tom and I have had a very good conversation.

“Look football is all about opinions, I understand that, every time I stand in front of a camera I am representing the football club.

“Therefore there is a certain way that you have to put yourself across and everybody in this building is aware of that.”