Cheltenham loan was best thing I have done, says Hull star Greaves

» JACOB Greaves has urged the next generation of talent coming off the Hull City talent line to grab the chance to go out on loan, labelling his move to Cheltenham Town last season the best thing he’s done.

Greaves has become a regular in Grant Mccann’s defence this season, having made his league debut at Rochdale in a 3-0 victory back in mid-october.

Since then, the 20-year-old who joined the Tigers at the age of eight has kept Jordy de Wijs out of the side, striking up a partnership with Reece Burke at the heart of a back four which had been in good form prior to the Tigers’ pre-christmas wobble.

Spending last season on loan at Whaddon Road proved key for Greaves, making 29 appearances for the Robins on the way to a play-off semi-final, and he says more youngsters should jump at the chance to go and play men’s football, and not settle for the comforts of Under-23 football.

“I was 18 when I first went which is quite young for a centre half to go out on loan in League Two,” Greaves said, before admitting the prospect of moving more than two hundred miles south was a little daunting initially.

“They broke the news to me on, I think it was the Thursday. I got home, put it in my map and saw it was two hundred miles away or something like that,” Greaves said of how his switch to Whaddon Road came about, before revealing how he formed a close bond with a family which helped him settle into Gloucestershire life.

“I was in a hotel for the first couple of days, we played Scunthorpe on the Saturday and I moved into digs on the Monday with a family.

“The family, honestly, were second to none - they were brilliant and I still keep in touch with them to this day.

“I think that helped me a lot that I wasn’t by myself and had a bit of company in the house, I really enjoyed it. I think that was part of being in such a successful club.”

Somebody Greaves knows well is Billy Chadwick who has since moved to Halifax on loan, and scored his second goal in as many games on Saturday, but despite his tender years, Greaves is fully aware of the importance that his spell away from City played in his career and is only too keen to impart that knowledge onto others.

“Yes, definitely. If there’s any chance to go out on loan, go do it because it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

“It’s tough, it can be lonely at times Luckily, I had Sheafy (Max Sheaf) there (at Cheltenham) and the lads were brilliant.

“I said to all the young lads, if you ever get chance to go out on loan do it.

“It helps you as a player and as a person as well. There’s nothing better than feeling like a first team player.”

The family were second to none - they were brilliant and I still keep in touch with them