Happy to be here

JACOB MELLIS: the loanee feels at home at SportsDirect.Com Park after his switch from Blackpool.

JACOB Mellis has praised the professionalism at Athletic as he bids to make up for time lost in pre-season at chaos club Blackpool.

The 24-year-old former Chelsea starlet was given an exit route from Bloomfield Road purgatory by Lee Johnson, who originally tried to sign him in the summer.

Fourteen appearances at Blackpool later and the lack of a proper preparation for the campaign with the Seasiders has taken its toll. He has only been considered ready for short spells off the bench.

But having joined Athletic to the end of the season, Mellis is happy to have settled in among a close-knit group of players.

“I’m really enjoying myself,” he said. “Team spirit is good and I am very happy to be here. I spoke with the manager here for a long time and I liked what he said. It’s obviously a drop from the Championship, but the standard and professionalism make it great to be here. I am being given the time to get up to fitness, which I am happy about.”

“It will be a little strange,” Mellis admitted of the reunion at Oakwell tonight, where he appeared 74 times and scored eight goals in two seasons.

“I didn’t think I would be playing them this season, but that is football. It throws up things like that.

“I am looking forward to going back, to be honest.”

The early signs are that once he is up to speed, Mellis has the potential to have quite an impact for Athletic.