KIERAN SADLIER COULD be set to make his bow with League One club Doncaster Rovers this weekend after making his move from Cork City in December.
The former Ireland U21 international was Cork City’s top scorer last season as he netted 16 times in the league and hit the back of the net in every round of the FAI Cup, including the final loss to Dundalk.
24-year-old Sadlier, who switched from Sligo Rovers to Cork City in 2017, signed an 18-month contract with Doncaster which kicked in yesterday, 3 January, and makes him available for their FA Cup third round trip to take on Preston North End on Sunday afternoon.
“The plan was to come in and do a mini pre-season. I haven’t played since 4 November so it’s been tough but I’ve enjoyed it and I’m feeling much fitter now,” Sadlier told the Doncaster Rovers website today.
“I think I’m ready to be thrown into a game now but that’s not my decision. I will be ready when I’m called upon.
“It’s a hard team to get into at the moment, they’re on fire, all the boys are scoring goals but I’ll back myself, work hard and see what happens.
“There were other options available to me but I was always going to come to Rovers, I like working with Grant McCann and I liked what he was doing as an assistant at Peterborough.
“Everyone was welcoming and I knew a few of the lads so they’ve shown me around. I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m settling in well.”
Doncaster boss Grant McCann praised Sadlier’s initial impact.
“He’s fit,very fit. He’s been working so hard and he looks really good.
“He’s going to need a couple of games for the Development side, but we’ll get them into him quickly.
“He’s seen all the home games since he’s been here bit it was important for him to see the structure of our travel and see how we approach away games.”
Irish duo Alan Browne and Sean Maguire could both return to action for Preston as they both continue to recover from hamstring injuries.
Browne has missed Preston’s last two games, his most recent appearance coming on Stephens’ Day when he netted in the 2-1 loss to Hull. Browne has bagged eight goals to date in the Championship for Preston this season.
Maguire has endured a difficult season with injuries. He was ruled out for eight weeks in early August with a hamstring problem and then after recovering he was struck down again in November, lasting just 13 minutes when brought on the international friendly against Northern Ireland. Maguire has only managed to feature six times to date this season for Preston.
Gavan Casey, Murray Kinsella and Andy Dunne preview the weekend’s action:
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