Bristol City starlet Ryley Towler took no time at all to make a positive impression on loan at Grimsby Town, catching his manager's eye with a fine debut performance.
The versatile Bristol-born teenager started in defence for Paul Hurst's side and played 90 minutes as the Mariners came from a goal down to beat Torquay United 3-1 at Plainmoor on Saturday.
The 19-year-old has proved an instant hit for his manager and Grimsby fans alike, impressing with a mature performance on debut following a loan move from Ashton Gate until January.
“I thought he was excellent,” Hurst told the Grimsby Telegraph.
“He showed a calmness, he showed a willingness to compete, I don’t think you’re going to get much more of a physical test than Danny Wright, a very, very experienced player who’s still a big player for Torquay and what they do.
“I thought he had a calm head, he didn’t take chances. I know he can pass a ball, but he also put his foot through it at times when it needed to be done.
“I like that in his performance. Sometimes you can get these younger players who want to play at the wrong times and take unnecessary chances. I didn’t think he did that at all, and he looked extremely comfortable.
“I don’t think anyone would guess that was his debut for us. I hope he can continue in a similar vain.”
Towler, Pearson believes, was a rare cause for optimism for the Robins last season, making his senior debut and turning out for the first team four times.
And the manager is sure the best thing for his development, now Towler has proven he is capable of holding his own, is to play regularly out on loan, hence why the move to the National League side was sanctioned.
"I think people might have preconceived ideas as to what the loan strategy might be," Pearson told Bristol Live on Friday.
"But Ryley was always one of the three players that we considered to be in and around the first team who might get out on loan.
"I know we’ve sent some younger players out but they don’t come into the first team strategy. So that’s the wider picture of how the academy and we, as a club, see the development of players. Sometimes it’s about finding out if they can deal with men’s football.
"Ryley’s had a particularly good six months in terms of playing a really good role for us last year. His inclusion was one of the successes of a very disappointing season.
"He’s now at the stage where he’s going to need regular football at a first-team level. So it goes without saying that that’s a no-brainer to put him out. He’s a player who needs that."
