STANLEY’S loan striker Craig Lindfield hasn’t ruled out returning to the club next season as he enjoys League Two life.
The 20-year-old Liverpool striker signed on loan for the Reds in January until the end of the season and has one year left on his Anfield contract.
"I will have to see what happens in the summer," he said. "I have one more year left at Liverpool but I will be looking to go out somewhere next season and try and impress and Accrington have been good to me."
He is enjoying his time at the FES with the Stanley fans taking to him for his effort and endeavour - although he would like to chip in with a few more goals.
Lindfield has two so far but has helped the Reds to end an eight game winless streak and go on a run which has seen them win their last three League games to ease any relegation worries and move 14 points clear of the drop with seven games left.
"I should have got more goals and that’s the only disappointing thing about my time here," said Lindfield, who came through the ranks at Liverpool with Stanley’s Jimmy Ryan. "I have been really frustrated as I have had a lot of decent half chances and I haven’t taken them.
"I did score at Aldershot but we were 3-0 down and I didn’t count that one.
"But then I scored the winner against Exeter last Saturday and it was a huge relief. It was nice to go into the dressing room with a smile on my face and not thinking about my missed chances. It was my left foot as well - I don’t score many with my left!
"I hope the fans do like me - I know they are probably as frustrated as I am when I don’t take chances but they seem to let me off as I keep trying and always give 100 per cent."
But this giving his all has led him into a spot of trouble as he said his dad joked that he has more bookings than goals after five yellow cards in the last 11 games - but will not be suspended as bookings before the end of February don’t count.
And he was lucky to stay on the pitch in the 1-0 win over Darlington midweek when he pushed Franz Bergmeier.
"I don’t know what has happened to me as I am not really an aggressive player. I don’t know where these bookings have come from.
"I did fear the worst on Tuesday but I was really mad at the lad’s tackle on Chris Turner as it was a bad one. I did push him in the chest but he went down like he had been shot. I was waiting for a red card and I know I was lucky. I am not usually like that though.
"Never mind scoring, my aim tomorrow at Rotherham is not to get booked!"
It is a clash of two in-form sides tomorrow as Stanley travel to the resurgent Millers and Scouser Lindfield wants to repay manager John Coleman’s faith in him by adding to his goal tally.
"I would like to get to five goals at least for myself and for the gaffer as he has given me the chance of regular football. I have got a run of games under my belt now and, even when I wasn’t scoring, he continued to show faith in me.
"Accrington had chased me a couple of times and I have ended up at Notts County, Chester and Bournemouth instead but I finally came to my senses and came here and I am glad I have."
But he is missing strike partner Paul Mullin after the star striker’s shock departure to Bradford last Friday.
Lindfield now partners Shrewsbury loan man Michael Symes, who was one of three loanees who came to Stanley last Friday including Burnley midfielder Adam Kay and Burscough keeper Zac Hibbert.
"Paul is an Accrington Stanley legend," continued Lindfield. "The fans love him and I understand why. He is a true professional and was great on the pitch - he helped me a lot. He won a lot of headers and held the ball up.
"But off the pitch he kept chatting to me and, even when I wasn’t scoring, he kept encouraging me and telling me it would come. I learnt a lot off him in the short time I was with him and I have a lot of respect for him.
"But Michael has come in and I think we have linked up pretty well and hopefully we can get better and get more goals towards the end of the season."
Lindfield has already experienced some highs and lows of being a footballer.
"I was on loan at Bournemouth earlier in the season, played one game, scored although we lost 3-1 and, after initially signing for a month then signed for three on the Friday.
"The following Monday Kevin Bond, the manager who signed me, left and I never played again and I was there four months, miles from home, not playing and it was really hard.
"So coming here, close to home, with all the Scousers at the club is great.
"And I have had ups and downs here. I thought I was a curse when I first came here as we could not win.
"We were playing well but not winning. We came off the pitch obviously gutted that we hadn’t won but we weren’t as disappointed as we should be because we deserved more from games.
"We just weren’t putting our chances away and now we seemed to have turned it around and we are. I think, in League Two, the first goal is always vital and that’s important for us to get it.
"Now we want to push on and we have got the confidence to do that."
Captain Peter Cavanagh is likely to miss out tomorrow (calf) while Leam Richardson (pelvis) is back running but it will be too early. Chris King (thigh) is still a couple of week away while Bobby Grant is struggling with an ankle injury. Goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin (groin) and defender Peter Murphy (knee) are out.
