Following his return to Cardiff City from a loan spell at Sligo Rovers, Luke Pearce reflected on gaining valuable experience.
The striker joined the Club in July having previously been at Southampton and moved to Rovers two weeks later on loan until the end of the League of Ireland season.
“I think it was really good experience for me," Luke began. "I feel like I did well while I was there; it will help me to develop and I can bring that experience back with me.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. The Irish league is a bit different to here, but it was a good mix of physical and technical players. It was a good league to play in, but I didn’t approach it any differently to my normal approach, which is to work hard.
"I fit in well there, all the lads and the coaching staff were really welcoming, so that made things easier for me to hit the ground running. It was important to do well straight away because it was during their season and I think I did that.
“I’ve lived away from home for quite a while now, being at Southampton and Cardiff City, so that part of it wasn’t much different, but moving to Ireland, I could focus on my football and improve myself. I feel like I’ve developed on and off the pitch. As a player, I’ve matured and have got that experience, so that’s definitely going to be really helpful for me."
It's been a positive campaign for Luke's U21 teammates, who have impressed in the PDL, as well as reaching the Semi-Final of the Nathaniel MG Cup and making progress in the PL Cup.
Luke continued: “I’ve been keeping up to date with the U21s’ results and they’ve been doing really well. There’s been a few First Team debuts as well, so it has gone really well for the group and I’m excited to be back involved in that. It’s a good atmosphere. All the lads are great to be around, so it has been good to be back training with them.
“Not being able to play until January, I see it as an opportunity to work hard in training and improve on the things that I need to work on. It’ll be good for me to be around U21 and First Team training and try and impress.”
Academy Manager Gavin Chesterfield added: "The opportunity came about and I spoke to Luke, his agent, his family and Darren Purse, and we felt that given Luke's accelerated pathway to date with experience at Walsall and Southampton, a chance to play senior football in a good league and a good club was too good of an opportunity to turn down.
"The loan itself, albeit a short one, was something a bit different because summer football poses a different challenge. The second aspect is that the loan offers much more than just the football, he's had moments where he hasn't played and has had to be impactful as a sub, he's had moments where he's played against Premier League opposition in Everton and Scottish Premiership opposition as well, whilst also living away from home. He's passed all those tests and has built more of an understanding of his game as the striker he can be. For us, we know we're getting a player back in the building now in an even better shape.
"I'm pleased with Luke's attitude, because between now and January, it will be a coordinated plan between Luke, the Academy and Jonny Northeast, our Head of Performance. He will be on an accelerated, intense programme between now and January. In this case, whilst he can't play, it's an opportunity for us to develop him in his strength, physicality, pace and power, which we can really hone in on knowing that there aren't games for him to peak for on a Saturday or Tuesday."