Turner glad to finally be playing again
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Shamrock Rovers midfielder Chris Turner is eager to make up for lost time after missing a big chunk of the new Airtricity League season.
The 23-year-old was caught up in a registration row after he initially signed for Sligo Rovers, although that move couldn’t be completed as the wrong paperwork had been used.
That gave Turner a chance to reassess his options. Rather than sticking with the Bit O’Red and signing fresh terms, he opted to link up with the Hoops.
However, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) had to step in to pass judgement on the case and they ordered the former Bohemians ace to repay wages of up to €5,000 to Sligo before he could become a free agent.
Once that was all sorted, he then had to serve a suspension which was carried over from his time with Dundalk last year. To say it has been a frustrating year for him so far would be a massive understatement.
"I had sort of agreed to come to Shamrock Rovers and then it was a rash decision. I went up to Sligo and they offered me a contract and I signed it that day," explained Turner.
"When I stepped back and looked at it, it wasn’t really the right decision that I made – it was a rash decision and I was regretting it.
"I found out that the contract wasn’t under the right documents and when I thought I could get out of it I contacted Shamrock Rovers to obviously see if they were still interested. I was just dying to get here and thankfully that’s happened."
O’Neill is certainly be glad to have Turner available and has already used the midfielder in two games - both of which he made a difference in as Rovers drew with Sporting Fingal and beat Bohemians.
"He’s a powerful player, good technically. He scored 12 goals from midfield last year. You can see the benefit he will potentially bring to the team," said the Rovers manager.
"We have to be realistic with him. Because of the drawn out saga in bringing him to the club, he’s a wee bit behind in terms of match fitness. But his overall fitness is pretty good."
The 23-year-old was caught up in a registration row after he initially signed for Sligo Rovers, although that move couldn’t be completed as the wrong paperwork had been used.
That gave Turner a chance to reassess his options. Rather than sticking with the Bit O’Red and signing fresh terms, he opted to link up with the Hoops.
However, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) had to step in to pass judgement on the case and they ordered the former Bohemians ace to repay wages of up to €5,000 to Sligo before he could become a free agent.
Once that was all sorted, he then had to serve a suspension which was carried over from his time with Dundalk last year. To say it has been a frustrating year for him so far would be a massive understatement.
"I had sort of agreed to come to Shamrock Rovers and then it was a rash decision. I went up to Sligo and they offered me a contract and I signed it that day," explained Turner.
"When I stepped back and looked at it, it wasn’t really the right decision that I made – it was a rash decision and I was regretting it.
"I found out that the contract wasn’t under the right documents and when I thought I could get out of it I contacted Shamrock Rovers to obviously see if they were still interested. I was just dying to get here and thankfully that’s happened."
O’Neill is certainly be glad to have Turner available and has already used the midfielder in two games - both of which he made a difference in as Rovers drew with Sporting Fingal and beat Bohemians.
"He’s a powerful player, good technically. He scored 12 goals from midfield last year. You can see the benefit he will potentially bring to the team," said the Rovers manager.
"We have to be realistic with him. Because of the drawn out saga in bringing him to the club, he’s a wee bit behind in terms of match fitness. But his overall fitness is pretty good."
