Bristol Rovers boost as Cardiff City managers comments open door for opportunities and reunion

Bristol Rovers could work with James Connolly again next season after comments from Cardiff City manager Steve Morison.

Connolly has been impressive for the Gas since joining from the Welsh side on a six-month loan in January.

The 20-year-old has played 22 times this season and scored his first professional goal against Port Vale on Easter Monday.

He signed a one-year deal with the Bluebirds and it expires in the summer, which has opened one door in Rovers wanted to work with him again.

But recent comments from the Cardiff boss could mean a return to the Memorial Stadium for Connolly even if he signs new terms with the Championship club.

"We’ve had conversations,” he said to WalesOnline when asked the question of what youth players could be loaned out from his club next year.

"Some of those who are out on loan will come back and go straight back out on loan again next year. I think it’s imperative. It’s something we haven’t done for a long time, looking after that core group just underneath the first team and ahead of the 23s, they need to get better.

"We have nine players out on loan, which apart from the two senior ones, they are all on development loans.

"There are people who are in the under-23s now who are not quite ready to step up, the likes of Jai Semenyo, people like that, would be much more beneficial that they go and have a loan and prove somewhere else that they are good enough for a recall in January and will make a difference to our team. I think it’s imperative and really important."

Connolly could come under the bracket of Morison’s comments, given that this is Connolly’s first season in senior level football. Whilst he has performed well at League Two level, the Welsh club may be inclined to loan him out again to get him up to the standard that they demand.

In Cardiff’s academy they have wing-back Jay Semenyo, a graduate of the SGS Academy and brother of Bristol City and Ghana international Antoine,

Semenyo has made one senior appearance for Cardiff, which was as a substitute in the FA Cup defeat to Liverpool and will hope to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother.

He is one of a few players that Rovers could take an interest in next season, with striker Chanka Zimba who is on loan at promotion rivals Northampton Town, another option.

A return for Connolly would make sense and Joey Barton has worked with players for more than two seasons before, having built up a good relationship with Stoke City to take Harry Souttar on loan twice, as well as being given Connor Taylor.

And Joey Barton last week, remained respectful of Connolly being a player of another club, but said once the season concludes, that he would like to be part of conversations keeping him.

He said: “Steve Morison, their manager was saying he was champing the door and asking to be involved,” he said.  “He was pushing hard to get into the Cardiff group

“It didn’t play out for him, we had the opportunity to bring him in and he has hit the ground running.

“We want to get this season finished and if there are opportunities to do different things, we would want to sit down and certainly be a part of those conversations.”