Darren in on a free

Just when we thought all transfer business had been concluded, Harry McConkey was able to secure one more signature late on Saturday night before the deadline, in the form of box to box midfielder Darren Freeman.

Darren has been starring for Monaghan GAA over the last 3 years but upon the conclusion of his commitments there, he wants to turn his attention back to soccer. He has previously played under Pat McGibbon for Newry City in the Championship, Captaining the side, winning the Mid Ulster Cup and also featuring in an Irish Cup Semi Final and Premier League playoff. He then moved to America and played for New York Shamrocks Soccer Club for 3 years before returning home again and also had a stint with Warrenpoint Town.

“The opportunity came up to sign Darren and I feel that he can add further depth to our squad as we aim to meet the challenges that lie ahead in the coming months. He will come in to train with us later this month once he has finished with his Gaelic commitments and he just wants the opportunity to train hard and see if he can make an impact at Ballinamallard” commented manager McConkey.

“It was important that we got him signed before the deadline so he can get some gametime with our Reserves and we will see what develops from there, but his attitude has been very positive and we welcome him to Ballinamallard”.

Having held onto the majority of last years squad, and completed his transfer dealings for this window, Harry has assembled a strong squad with great competition for places.

The Mallards play Darren’s previous club Newry City this Saturday at Ferney Park and will hope to continue their recent good form.

Photo courtesy of Oliver McVeigh,Sportsfile.