PAUL Hurst has confirmed he will look into the possibility of keeping Ollie Palmer at Grimsby Town until the end of the season.
Once again, Palmer shone in the Mariners' 2-0 win over Nuneaton on Saturday, having also impressed in the stunning 3-1 victory over Barnet the previous weekend.
The 23-year-old is currently midway through a one-month loan spell from Mansfield and his performances have already led to calls for his stay to be extended.
And Hurst says that he too would like to see the 6'5" frontman stick around for longer.
But he acknowledges that Palmer – and his parent club – will also have a big say in that.
"It's not entirely up to me – it's about the player and his club, but certainly on Saturday, he showed elements of his game that I like," he said.
"He's got a willingness to run at the opposition and he's got tidier feet than a traditional big man and I've been impressed with him."
He added: "We'd initially discussed about taking him until the end of the season, but I don't know if he was willing to commit straight away until he'd had a look at us and that's fair enough.
"In saying that, I'd be surprised if he wouldn't happily extend it now, but a lot of it depends on Mansfield and how they're fixed, if they get an injury, they might need him back."
Another hot topic among Town fans is Carl Magnay's contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Asked if there are any plans to extend it, Hurst replied: "If he keeps playing how he does then I'm sure that option will be open to him. We're not in a position where we can offer long contracts to players.
"Carl is the same as a lot of another players. If you're in a Conference team that's doing well, I'd expect there to be scouts at your games, which there have been.
"The players know the situation and how I work and he knows that I'm happy with him – the fact that he's on the team-sheet every week shows what I think of him.
"We've had a chat and I've said don't be worrying about the future and if he keeps playing the way he has, then there'll always be that option with Grimsby Town.
"He's certainly up there as one of the best, if not the best signing, in my time here – all things considered – his performances have been very consistent."
