ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC are hoping for much better fortunes in 2018 and they’ve made a big step in the right direction today with their fourth new addition for next season.
The Saints, who only avoided relegation to the First Division on the final day of the 2017 season, have completed a deal for experienced defender Simon Madden.
It emerged a fortnight ago that the 29-year-old right-back was surprisingly not offered a contract extension by Shamrock Rovers, despite being regarded as one of the top players in his position in the SSE Airtricity League.
The Dubliner spent four seasons at Rovers — for whom he made 194 appearances overall — in what was his second spell with the club. Hoops supporters selected him as their player of the year at the end of the 2016 campaign.
Madden will join strikers Thomas Byrne (Drogheda United), Dean Clarke (Limerick) and midfielder Ryan Brennan (Bray Wanderers) as one of the new faces at Richmond Park in 2018. Manager Liam Buckley has also tied down Ian Bermingham, Conan Byrne, Michael Barker, Lee Desmond and Graham Kelly to contract extension with the Inchicore side.
A former Irish U21 international, Madden was with Leeds United as a trainee before his first spell with Shamrock Rovers. He had a brief stint at Darlington in 2010 but he was back in the League of Ireland that summer, first with Dundalk and then Derry City. He re-joined the Hoops in 2014.
Our newest signing Simon Madden is aiming for a top four finish next season #Saints2018 #WelcomeSimon pic.twitter.com/65ZZaVOVud
— St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) December 7, 2017
