COLERAINE FC is delighted to announce the pre-contract signing of Mark Connolly…
The experienced defender has agreed to join the Bannsiders ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
Connolly, who hails from Clones in Monaghan, started his career in England and was on the books at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers, Macclesfield Town (loan) and Crawley Town.
He would then move north of the border and feature for the likes of Kilmarnock, Dundee United and Dunfermline Athletic (loan).
Connolly then moved back to his native Republic of Ireland and after a loan spell at Dundalk, he joined Ruaidhri Higgins at Derry City where he spent three-and-a-half years at the Brandywell.
Connolly’s arrival marks a boost for supporters after fellow defender Kodi Lyons-Foster suffered an injury last week and is expected to be out for a considerable period of time.
Speaking about Connolly’s arrival, Bannsiders boss Higgins spoke of his happiness at working with the former Republic of Ireland youth international once again.
He said: “I worked with Mark for a few years and he’s a player I know really, really well.
“He will bring great value to the squad. He’s obviously really well experienced but he’s a really good footballer as well.
“Mark suits how we want to play and he’ll certainly give us that know-how and experience that we will need heading into the second half of the season and further on as well.”
Connolly lifted the Scottish Championship title during his time at Dundee United, as well as the FAI Cup under Higgins at Derry City.
With that in mind, Higgins knows he’s bringing in a winner to his changing room.
He explained: “He’s a very competitive person by nature – regardless of what he does.
“I think if you look at his last season at Derry City, particularly the second half of the campaign, he was outstanding.
“We are delighted that we are able to bring him to the club and I think a fresh start will be really good for him.”