Ins and Outs at Terryland Park
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Galway United have today confirmed that Sean Kelly has joined the club from Cork City on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell which began earlier this year. While the news will be well received by fans of the club, another regular midfielder, Michael McGrath, has departed for Sligo Rovers who are looking for cover for recent injury victim Richie Ryan.
Kelly has had a positive impact in the Galway United side this year, and it was no co-incidence that Ian Foster's men lost their early momentum following the Kerry native's knee injury sustained against St Patrick's Athletic in early May, which ruled him out for the next ten games. Although known as a centre half from his time at Cork City, the former Arsenal trainee has been moulded by Foster into an abrasive defensive midfielder - a badly needed asset amongst Galway's more creative talents - and the 22-year-old also showed a keen eye for goal when firing in a stunning winner against St Patrick's Athletic recently.
Kelly forms a triumvirate of Kingdom footballers currently in the West, alongside Derek O'Brien and Shane Guthrie, and his permanent capture is a big bonus to Foster as he looks to avoid a repeat of the relegation threatened endgame that the club went through last season.
Speaking to the club's official website, Foster said: "We are very pleased to have secured the signing of Sean. He was badly missed by us in the last series of games and we hope that his availability for the remainder of the season will give us that stability we are looking for."
Meanwhile, English midfielder McGrath has followed the same route as Alan Keane in heading north for the Showgrounds. McGrath has only missed two league games for the Tribesmen thus far, and will be seen as a decent capture for The Bit O'Red, who have been quite busy in the transfer market this summer with eight new acquisitions as they look to climb the table and mount a Setanta Cup challenge.
Kelly has had a positive impact in the Galway United side this year, and it was no co-incidence that Ian Foster's men lost their early momentum following the Kerry native's knee injury sustained against St Patrick's Athletic in early May, which ruled him out for the next ten games. Although known as a centre half from his time at Cork City, the former Arsenal trainee has been moulded by Foster into an abrasive defensive midfielder - a badly needed asset amongst Galway's more creative talents - and the 22-year-old also showed a keen eye for goal when firing in a stunning winner against St Patrick's Athletic recently.
Kelly forms a triumvirate of Kingdom footballers currently in the West, alongside Derek O'Brien and Shane Guthrie, and his permanent capture is a big bonus to Foster as he looks to avoid a repeat of the relegation threatened endgame that the club went through last season.
Speaking to the club's official website, Foster said: "We are very pleased to have secured the signing of Sean. He was badly missed by us in the last series of games and we hope that his availability for the remainder of the season will give us that stability we are looking for."
Meanwhile, English midfielder McGrath has followed the same route as Alan Keane in heading north for the Showgrounds. McGrath has only missed two league games for the Tribesmen thus far, and will be seen as a decent capture for The Bit O'Red, who have been quite busy in the transfer market this summer with eight new acquisitions as they look to climb the table and mount a Setanta Cup challenge.
About Alan Dooley
is one of Extratime's longest serving contributors. Based in County Galway, Alan has been following the League of Ireland since the mid-1980s. His first memory of the drama of domestic football was Vinny Arkins, then … View Full Profile