Fri May 12, 2023 11:24 am
Promising young Cardiff striker James Crole has branded last season the "toughest of his life" in an end-of-season social media post.
Crole, 19, was scoring goals for fun for the Bluebirds' under-21s side at the beginning of the campaign and ended up earning a move to Torquay United in the National League, where his team-mate Kieron Evans was shining.
But it wasn't the loan he was after. The youngster made the bench against Halifax before playing 30 minutes of the team's FA Trophy match against Taunton before suffering an ankle injury during his time with the Devon club.
When he returned to Cardiff, the injury was thought to be worse than was initially diagnosed by Torquay and it was decided he would stay with his parent club for treatment.
The Seagulls subsequently signed Lewis Collins from Newport County on loan as a late January replacement, resulting in Crole heading back to Cardiff to ensure his recovery went smoothly and, also, for him to get more game time with the club's under-21s.
"Toughest season of my life over, thank you to everyone who’s helped me get through it," Crole wrote on Instagram. "Time to reset and we go again in pre season."
The Wales youth international will hope a successful loan with first-team minutes under his belt will aid his progress next term.