That Is Brilliant – Stoke City Loan Star Impresses Blackpool Boss Steve Bruce | OneFootball

Jess Hornby/Getty Images

Blackpool boss Steve Bruce has hailed Stoke City loan star Niall Ennis as a terrific signing and lauded him for his goalscoring ability after he netted an important goal against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend.

Ennis came through Premier League side Wolves’ academy and played for the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers before he joined Stoke in February of 2024.

The forward struggled for game time in the first half of the season at Stoke and was loaned out to League One side Blackpool in the winter transfer window.

Ennis has been brilliant so far for Bruce’s team, as he has already scored six league goals in 12 league games for the League One outfit.

The 25-year-old scored the winning goal against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend in a 2-1 win for Blackpool and Bruce dubbed Ennis’ goal a brilliant finish.

The Seasiders boss is very happy with his Ennis and stressed the Potters loan star has been a fantastic addition to the squad from the get-go.

“Well, absolutely, what I have felt for Niall, he has been a terrific acquisition since he has walked through the door”, Bruce told Tangerines TV (00:41) when he was asked about the Stoke loanee’s goal.

“[He has been] a goalscorer, and when he can finish like that, that is brilliant.

“When you took at all the chances that we had a couple of weeks ago that one he [Ennis] had today was a great finish.”

Blackpool have an outside chance to make it to the top six in League One this season, and Ennis’ goals have been a major part of it.

Now it remains to be seen if the Potters will try to cash in on Ennis in the summer following his impressive loan stint, as his current contract at Stoke is set to expire in the summer of 2026.