Bristol Rovers youngster Kieran Phillips has extended his loan deal at Swindon Supermarine after an impressive end to 2021 at the Southern Premier Division South side, the club have confirmed.

Phillips has scored nine goals in 11 games for Swindon Supermarine after joining on loan from The Pirates. The 19-year-old has also won the Player of the Month award twice during his stay.

Supermarine currently sit 16th in the Southern Premier Division South, nine points clear of the relegation zone. However, they will be hoping in the turn of year with their on loan striker back at the club for the remainder of the season that they can pick up points and push up the league table.

As for Bristol Rovers, they have been relatively short of goals this season, with their top scorers being Sam Nicholson and Brett Pitman joint on four a piece.

With an ageing squad, having a player like Phillips gaining experience and potentially ready to return for the 2022/23 season could be a huge bolster to their attack.

The Verdict

This extension of the loan is perfect for Phillips as he can spend a full season seeing the highs and lows throughout the nine month campaign. Rovers fans will be hopeful that he is ready to become a first-team player in the 2022/23 season, which looks like it could entail League Two football at the Memorial Stadium.

The Pirates will be hoping for a promotion push next season, and having a player like this at their disposal is extremely pivotal in a long 46 game season. It requires fresh, pacy legs being brought of the bench to grab you a late goal when required - something Phillips has proven he can do with three of his goals arriving in the last 20 minutes of matches this season.