With Coventry City now at a level to send players out on loan to a decent standard of football, I thought it was time to start a new feature that no-one elsewhere has ever thought of, called ‘Loan Watch’. Like the regular player profiles that I produce, the aim is to follow each player’s progress after regular intervals, starting at ten games. This means that first up, is Danny Cashman, who has reached that ten-game landmark while on loan at Rochdale in League Two.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion’s youth set-up, Danny Cashman was instantly sent out on loan to the Dale over the summer. With six of his first seven league appearances coming from the bench, Cashman has had to fight for his place in the side, with Alex Newby and Abraham Odoh providing stiff competition in the wide attacking positions that Cashman operates in. With two goals and two assists to his name, Cashman is joint with Newby for goal involvements in the league for a relatively young and inconsistent Rochdale side that currently sit 16th in League Two.
For more of an insight into how things have gone for Danny Cashman, I enlisted the help of Rochdale fansite and podcast, RochdaleAFC.com, who has seen the young forward in the flesh on a regular basis.
How Has Danny Cashman Fitted In At Rochdale?
Cashman has fitted in excellently for the most part, scoring some important goals and being a real threat with his vision and intelligence in the final third. He’s inconsistent, as you’d expect for a youngster, but he seems to really enjoy being here too and the fans have really taken to him as a result.
How Would You Describe Danny Cashman’s Style Of Play
The temptation is to say like a Mini Grealish given his looks, but he’s more of a ball player than carrier. He looks to find pockets of space in the final third then use his quick feet to find a killer pass, whether that’s a 10 yard through ball or a 50 yard switch of play. He’s mostly played as a wide forward in a 4-3-3, but I’d expect his attributes would be best utilised as a CAM in a 4-2-3-1. He looks to have quite an instinctive finishing ability under pressure too.
Where Can Danny Cashman’s Game Improve?
Decision-making at times could be better and he lacked composure in missing two glaring chances at Bradford on Saturday. He can go missing for large periods of the game, but in terms of technical ability there aren’t many deficiencies in his game.
It looks to have been a promising start for Danny Cashman at Rochdale, and there looks to be the potential there for him to get even better and perhaps become a stand-out player at League Two level. It appears to have been a smart move to blood Cashman in senior football before he properly arrives at the club, helping him develop the consistency and physicality to compete at a higher level. He looks to be in the right place at the right level at this moment in time, and a potential January recall would appear to be premature. There will be work to do for Danny Cashman to reach Championship standard in time for next season, but he could prove to be useful alternative or complement to Callum O’Hare in attacking midfield next year if his progress accelerates further.
Sideways Sammy 