Exeter City may have handed Rochdale their ticket into League Two - MK Dons will be watching on with envy | OneFootball

Jay Bird han't made much of an impact for Exeter City but he's lighting it up for Rochdale and could go on to prove MK Dons wrong after all.

It's fair to say that eyebrows were raised when Jay Bird was loaned to Rochdale.

The Exeter City forward looked to be manager Gary Caldwell's second choice ahead of Sonny Cox and behind Josh Magennis for the starting No.9 role, but he was allowed to leave outside the EFL transfer window with no replacement possible.

Frankly it looked a baffling decision, especially as City had struggled for goals for much of the season and Cox had hardly featured.

It seems that Cox may have had a niggly injury, and now he's back as Magennis' back up, picking up a goal in the 1-1 draw at home to Northampton Town at the start of the month.

Bird, however, has taken flight for the Dale, and he's played a huge part in their recent ascent into the National League play-offs as they push to get back into the big time.

Jay Bird well on form for Rochdale

The former MK Dons man had scored in his last three appearances before missing their last two games through injury that might keep him out for a few weeks.

But, up to now, he's scored three in seven for Dale, who are in the National League's final play-off spot with two games in hand on everyone around them.

To find a player scoring around one in two at this stage of the season is like gold dust, and they'll be desperate to get him back out on the grass as soon as possible.

When the 24-year-old arrived at Exeter, Caldwell told fans that he was something of a development player who would need 'patience' from the fans.

In the hustle and bustle of League One it's easy to see why he said that.

Bird not League One level yet

Bird is fairly quick, but he still looks pretty lightweight, though that might just be the obvious comparison to the man he most often replaces off the bench, the hulking Magennis.

The summer free transfer signing from Arbroath has scored two goals for City this season, but both have come in the cups, and he's not bagged a league goal in 14 attempts.

However, he's taken to life in the National League like a duck to water, and he even fired in a lovely long-range strike.

He scored 10 in 40 games for the Smokies last season and at 24 he's at a crossroads in his career.

If he can continue his good form on his return, that could be a launchpad towards a more regular spot in the Grecians' first XI next season, especially with Magennis out of contract and further strengthening still needed in that department.

He could even fire Rochdale to promotion if he comes back scoring at a rate near to before injury.

He didn't get much of a crack of the whip at MK, making six appearances in all competitions before leaving in 2022.

Given the time it's taken for him to establish himself, letting him go was probably the right decision, but seeing their current plight, 17th in League Two heading into the weekend, he'd surely be a useful member of their squad if they'd kept the faith or taken a gamble in keeping him.

There's plenty up in the air with Bird right now, but if he can use this loan as a springboard, and if something clicked, he could well go on to have a strong career in the EFL over the next decade or so.