Jay Stansfield is determined to show everyone just how much spending the season on loan at Exeter City has meant to him during his last game for the Grecians on Sunday.
The 20 year-old striker returned to St;. James’ Park on loan in September and admits to being emotional as he prepares to say goodbye to his boyhood club after the last League One game of the season against Morecambe this weekend.
“It’s going to be emotional for me, but as a team and personally, I just want to go out and show everyone what I can do and leave here on a positive. It’s been amazing and I have loved every moment of being back here. With three managers, there has been ups and downs, but to come here and play week in, week out for your hometown club, there is nothing better.
The support I have had means everything to me and I can’t thank everyone enough – everyone at Exeter, the club, the supporters, the manager, all the staff – but especially the fans. I can’t thank them enough. They have welcomed me back here with such open arms and they really stuck by me. Obviously I went 23 games without a goal and some fans can turn on you massively and lose belief in you, but these fans have stood by me the whole way. I want to take that into the last game and hopefully get one more goal here.
Obviously everyone remembers my Dad here, but I came here to make a name for myself and I think I have done that. We are very different people at different levels of our career at the age of 20, but it is a privilege to come here and wear the number nine shirt. Not just for me, but my family coming here every week. Sweenz (Pierce Sweeney) is killing me as I have to ask him for ten tickets every game! But it shows what it means to all the Stansfield family to not only watch me, but be back at the ground that he played in week in, week out.
Everyone will remember his name for what he done for this club and being a legend in the town. But I wanted to come here and make myself a legend and make my own name. You never know, you might see me here again at the end of my career, but to come here and go out and hear them singing my songs… it puts a shiver down my spine knowing they are singing about me.”
The young forward conceded it was difficult to pick out a favourite moment from his time with City, but eventually settled on scoring his first goal at St. James’ Park – after a long wait – against Accrington Stanley.
“I have had some amazing moments with the two Barnsley games, but the highlight was scoring in front of the Big Bank against Accrington. It was tough going so long without scoring – as a forward – but people showed faith in me and I knew I would bring something different to the team than just goals and the gaffer said it a few times in his press conferences and that allowed me massively to go out on the pitch knowing there was no pressure to score.
“I’d love to have scored more goals here and celebrated in front of the fans, but I have come here and learnt massively and that was what I wanted to do. Hopefully I can get one more on Sunday.”
Stansfield isn’t certain of what will be next in his career but he is determined to try and make an impression on Marco Silva, who handed him a Premier League debut at the start of this season.
“I will go back to Fulham and see what happens, try and impress the manager, show him what I have learnt, be confident and see where it takes me. It would be amazing for me to come back here, but I am here for myself and my future really. That might sound selfish, but I have to develop as a player. Here, I am massively in my comfort zone and would obviously be a bit different if I could go out and perform and express myself at other club? I don’t know, but we will see what happens. It would be amazing to come back, but is it best for me? We will have to see in the future but, for now, I am focused on finishing my job here and we will see what the future holds.
I know all the players, the manager has come in and I know how the manager wants to play now and overall, yeah, it could work out massively… But like I said, it’s not really down to me, we will have to see what both clubs agree and what Fulham think is best for me because, at the end of the day, I am their player.”
