LAST UPDATE | 17 Nov 2023
DERRY CITY HAVE confirmed the signing of Daniel Kelly from Dundalk FC on a two-year contract.
The winger’s Oriel Park exit was announced yesterday, after five seasons and 156 appearances. “It’s sad, but I just think it’s time for a change,” Kelly said.
Confirmation of said change arrived this morning, with Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins welcoming the 27-year-old Dubliner to the Brandywell.
“I worked with him in 2019 when he scored 15 goals from wide positions, and this year he scored nine goals in 33 appearances, so I know exactly what he brings,” Higgins said.
“Daniel has shown great commitment to us because he had interest from clubs a lot closer to home. He’s a great addition to the attacking options already at the club and I’m really looking forward to working with him again.”
Kelly, who previously represented Bohemians, is looking forward to the next chapter.
📣 Signing alert📣
— Derry City FC (@derrycityfc) November 17, 2023
Daniel Kelly signs for City!
The 27 year old joins on a two year deal from Dundalk.
Learn more and the thoughts of the manager👇
https://t.co/4HKryL7OAv pic.twitter.com/qTreldobra
“As Ruaidhri said, I’ve worked with him before and this was an opportunity that I felt I couldn’t turn down,” he added.
“Obviously there are a few ex-Dundalk lads here as well as the gaffer and I spoke with all of them before coming up. The likes of Cameron Dummigan and Mark Connolly couldn’t speak highly enough of the manager, the club, the fans and the city itself and that made my decision a lot easier.
“I haven’t won a trophy for a few years now but we’ll be going into 2024 looking to give it a real go in the league as well as a run in Europe and the FAI Cup of course. These look like being exciting times for Derry City and I’d be happy if the season was starting tomorrow so as to be a part of it.”
Meanwhile, Kerry FC have confirmed a change in first-team senior management for 2024 with Billy Dennehy moving into the role of Sporting Director.
Conor McCarthy will take over as head coach, as other members of Dennhy’s original staff, James Sugrue and Del O’Shea, form the first-team coaching group.
Shane Guthrie will also join as strength and conditioning coach ahead of the Kingdom’s second campaign in the First Division.
Elsewhere, Lee Steacy is re-joining Shamrock Rovers after a spell with Cobh Ramblers.
Speaking to shamrockovers.ie about signing Lee, head coach Stephen Bradley said, “He had a really good season at Cobh. We spoke to Lee last year, we know him quite well. He’s really close with some of the group here, so we’ve been in contact for some time.”
Steacy will provide competition for the number one jersey with Leon Pöhls, according to Bradley.
“He has experience in the league, has played a lot of games in the league, so I think he’s a good fit for Leon and will help Leon on and off the pitch.
“With his age (30), when you see how long Alan Mannus played, I think that a goalkeeper is a different animal to outfield players. When we look at Leon, he’s a really young goalkeeper so I think it’s important to have a bit of experience around him, and Lee is someone who has been around the league and knows the highs and lows of it, so it’s a good fit for us all.”
