Salford City loanee Mark Shelton hoping to continue fine run of form at Hartlepool United as he discusses a potential permanent move in the summer

The 23-year-old midfielder joined on an initial one-month loan from the Ammies which was later extended to the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Shelton has been involved in each of the last five goals scored at Victoria Park, scoring three times – the most recent of which came in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Aldershot Town.

Manager Dave Challinor made no secret of his intention to explore a permanent deal for Shelton when the young playmaker first arrived from Salford.

“It’s something that’s been talked about and I would love to stay here,” Shelton admitted in The Blue Print.

“But the focus right now is trying to get the club into the play-offs and then we’ll see what happens after that.

“It was good to read some of the positive feedback when I extended my loan deal, we all like to read that from time to time.

“The fans here have welcomed me from the start and it was great to know they were excited I was staying.

“I’m not finished yet though – I want to keep going, I want to help us get in the play-offs, I want us to keep winning games and let’s see what happens.”

Shelton endured a frustrating start to the season at Salford City in League Two, but really seems to have found his feet at Victoria Park.

“This season [at Salford] when I was playing at the start, it’s difficult, it’s a new league,” he said.

“When you sign for [Salford] you’re under no illusions of what is expected from you in terms of getting from A to B very quickly which is obviously good because as a player you want to win games and leagues.

“Expectation is the main one there, if you draw or lose, it’s like what are you doing and if you lose two on the bounce it’s a disaster, but that’s not realistic with how football works.”