ANYONE frustrated by the number of loan players at Blundell Park last season, look away now.
Grimsby Town's bosses used the market to their advantage then and appear poised to rely it on even more next term.
The co-managers were able to bring the likes of Tom Naylor, Nathan Pond and Scott Neilson to the club on short-term deals for a fraction of their contracted wages.
Other loan rangers to make an impact included Ross Hannah, before returning on a permanent basis, and Marcus Marshall.
Between them, that group played a huge part in firing the Mariners to a top-five finish and a Wembley final.
Not all of their forays into this market were a massive success, though, as I'm sure the joint bosses will readily admit.
The likes of Michael Rankine, Cleveland Taylor and Dougie Wilson hardly played a game, while returning hero Jamie Devitt never lived up to expectations.
It all turned a bit sour for Richard Brodie, meanwhile, after his Wembley penalty miss and rapid return to Crawley. But that's the chance you take with loanees, who need to hit the ground running and bring an instant reward – or head straight out again.
With budget cuts – combined with the bosses' stated aim to put quality above quantity – that reliance on the loan market looks set to increase next season.
Rob Scott and Paul Hurst have said that a reduced, 18-man squad will be the platform to build on for the 2013/14 campaign – four or five players light of the numbers they were carrying for much of last term.
Picking up the slack when injuries or suspensions hit will invariably be more loanees.
And ensuring these temporary additions can not only deputise, but also improve on what is already here, will again be the managers' aim.
Speaking to the Telegraph earlier this month, Scott admitted that loan rangers could be more important than ever when the new season begins on August 10.
He said: "Tom Naylor is on very, very good wages at a Championship club and we got him at 75 per cent less than he was earning there.
"That's where the loan market is good. People question it, but you can pick up players for a lot less than they're on at their parent club.
"What we could afford to pay is probably less than half of what he is on at Derby.
"That's where you have to manipulate the financial restraints by going out and seeing what is out there.
"That's something we'll have to look into a little bit deeper again next season."
In an ideal world, we would all love to have a squad made up of permanent signings who live locally and 'care deeply' about the club.
But football has changed and the Mariners have to adapt to that if they are to claw their way out of the Conference.
With finances stretched, a small squad supplemented by clever loan acquisitions seems to be the way forward for everyone.
And if Scott and Hurst can pull some more rabbits – or Naylors, Ponds and Neilsons – out of the hat next season, then I'm all for it.
