Photo by Maynard Collins

Gary Hamilton has signed 23 year old Tommy Cooney on a one year deal. The Galway native, who can play at left back or left midfield, started his career as a 16 year old at Brentford before moving to Morecambe and then playing in the lower leagues in England as well as a spell in Australia. “He came in and played for us against Loughgall and impressed. He had an offer on the table to go full time in Sweden but he’s decided to join us which we’re delighted with.

“In the match we could see he has a really good left foot and the quality of his delivery from set pieces and from open play was first class. It’s something that I think is important in the modern game, especially in this league, if you’ve got somebody who can cross a good ball, it’s a dream for strikers and people attacking the ball in the box.”

He’ll add another dimension that we haven’t had probably since we lost Kyle Neill; we haven’t really had a left footer that delivers a set piece since Kyler left us. It’s something that’s a major feature in the modern game as is clear from the statistics in every league and tournament in the world. No-one’s guaranteed a place in the team but he adds an extra dimension to the squad and it’s up to him to prove that he’s good enough to play week in and week out.”