Kieran Lloyd has been an ever-present in the Fylde backline since arriving at Mill Farm towards the end of October and became a real fans favourite during that time.

Slotting in at right-back in the absence of Luke Burke, Lloyd has put in several outstanding performances, which left Coasters fans delighted when he extended his stay for an extra month at the end of November.

During his second spell, though, Jim Bentley’s side haven’t picked up the results they have wanted of late but have shown signs of getting back on track in their last two fixtures against Chorley & Chester, something Lloyd acknowledges.

“We have been playing nowhere near our best,” Lloyd expressed. “Having said that, we were the dominant team in our last two performances, which is a good sign.

“We haven’t picked up the points we wanted, but hopefully, the team can put that right soon with the games that are coming up.”

Kieran’s loan spell was to aid his development further, play competitive football week in week out and fill the void that was left at right-back, and he recognises how key the time spent at Mill Farm has been for him.

“When I came to the Club, we were on a brilliant run, and then the squad started to pick up injuries, which doesn’t help in a busy festive period.

“However, for me personally, it’s been my first run of games over a festive period, and it tests you to the max playing back-to-back games within the space of 48 hours.

“To keep playing game after game is beneficial for me, and I hope that continues in the near future.”

Sunday’s postponed fixture against Chorley would have marked the end of Kieran’s second spell at Mill Farm, but despite the postponement, the defender only had positive words to say about his time spent on the Fylde Coast.

“My time has been brilliant from day one when I first signed. The lads, the gaffer, Nick – they’ve all been fantastic with me, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

“I’m hoping the lads can kick on from now. I’m not sure what is going to happen with my loan from here on in, but I’ve loved everything about my time here and loved playing with this team.”

Coasters fans have certainly taken a liking to Kieran during his time at Mill Farm, and he had nothing but praise for the supporters.

“The fans have been brilliant since I joined, and their support home and away has been unbelievable.

“Last Tuesday against Chester, they really pushed us on to try and get something out of the game, which we did, so thank you to them for that.

“I’d just like to personally thank them for everything they have given me and us as a team during my time here.

“It’s disappointing that Sunday’s game was postponed, as it would have been nice to play in front of them once more, but I want to say keep pushing the lads on to try and get that win we’ve all been striving for over the last couple of weeks.”