BRAD Halliday has extended his loan at Accrington Stanley until the end of the season — and he is now targeting promotion with the Reds.

The 20-year-old’s initial loan spell from Middlesbrough ended after Stanley’s 3-2 win at Mansfield Town on Saturday. But he has now put pen to paper on a deal to keep him at the Wham Stadium until the end of May.

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Halliday has made 11 appearances for the Reds since signing on October 20, and he is loving his time in East Lancashire.

“I am thoroughly enjoying it here,” said the full-back. “All the lads here made me feel welcome. It is a nice family club. There have been a few ups and downs in terms of results but it has mostly been positive.

“I started the season going out on loan at Hartlepool United and then I came here and it is nice to know where I will be for the rest of the season. It would have been hard to go back to Middlesbrough and then be sent out on loan again. This has given me some security. It was similar to last season where I went on loan to York City and then had it extended until the end of the season.”

Halliday got his only senior career goal when playing for York — and having failed to find the back of the net in a six-game spell at Hartlepool this season, he is now eager to score for Stanley and help in their promotion push.

“I scored in my final game for York, at Portsmouth, so my aims now are to get a goal for Accrington and to help Accrington challenge at the top end of the table,” he said. “With York it was a relegation battle but at the top end you get a lot more respect from teams and we have earned the right to be where we are. It is enjoyable and now the aim is to get as many wins as we can.”

Stanley boss John Coleman said he was pleased to have been able to tie Halliday down until the end of the season.

“Brad has settled in really well at the club and is an asset to the team,” said Coleman. “We are delighted to have him here until the end of the season and we hope he can carry on his rich vein of form.”

Meanwhile Accrington Stanley owner Andy Holt has hit out at Rangers interest in star players Josh Windass and Matt Crooks.

Yesterday Holt said he had been told that the Scottish giants were in discussions with both players over a move in the summer.

The two 21-year-olds have stood out in Stanley’s promotion charge this season, with Windass scoring 11 times and Crooks netting seven from midfield.

They are both out of contract in the summer and while the Reds would be guaranteed a compensation fee if they moved to another club in England, a move north of the border would mean Rangers could sign the duo on a free transfer.

Coleman was encouraged by the impact that Terry Gornell had from the bench in Saturday’s important win against the Stags. The striker was made captain at the start of the season but has largely been limited to appearances from the bench.

“Terry is a great lad and a great footballer, and we are blessed we have two really good strikers,” said Coleman.

“The formation we play means Terry does not get as much game time as we know he would like but he is still a crucial member of our squad and he showed that.”

Stanley now go into a run of home games, with three out of their next four fixtures at the Wham Stadium.