Dundalk capture Cranley
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Dundalk FC have this week completed the signing of 24-year-old goalkeeper Morgan Cranley on amateur forms, to provide cover for Chris Bennion and Aaron Shanahan. The move, which was sealed on Wednesday evening, comes as the club are currently without a netminder for their next league fixture in Waterford on Friday 20 June.
With Bennion facing an automatic one-match suspension for his sending-off against Sporting Fingal last week, and with Shanahan still sidelined with an injury that has kept him out for the past two months, Cranley is expected to make his debut for the Lilywhites at the RSC in a fortnight.
Cranley, a former Youth international, has previously played for Belvedere, Grimsby Town, Shelbourne and, most recently, Tolka Rovers in the LSL. Incidentally, in his time there, he played twice against Waterford last year as Rovers eventually lost out in a replay to the Blues in the FAI Cup Third Round. At Shels, meanwhile, he was third choice goalkeeper behind Steve Williams and Chris Bennion.
In 2000, Morgan was named as part of Brian Kerr’s Republic of Ireland under-16 squad to face Norway in an international friendly, and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win. Interestingly, also in that panel were Darren Potter, Stephen Elliott and Killian Brennan. Cranley has also represented his country at under-14, under-15, under-17 and at Youth international level.
The 24-year-old first joined up with the Dundalk squad for training last Monday night, and he could be available to sit on the bench as back-up to Bennion against Shelbourne in the FAI Cup this Friday night.
