St Patrick's Athletic have signed Shamrock Rovers pair Ciaran Kilduff and Jason McGuinness ahead of the 2015 season.
The Inchicore club lost star midfielder Keith Fahey to their Dublin rivals earlier today, but manager Liam Buckley has expressed his delight with the new signings, having previously attempted to sign both players.
The FAI Cup winners have also secured the signature of 19-year-old defender Lee Desmond from Shelbourne.
“I’m delighted to sign the three lads," said Buckley. "I’ve tried to sign both Jason and Ciarán in the past and it just didn’t materialise, so to get them to sign now, they’ll be great additions to the club.
"Equally, I’m delighted to bring in young Lee Desmond as he’s a great player with a bright future ahead of him as he has proven with his recent call-up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad.”
Striker Kilduff declared his delight at securing a move to Inchicore, citing the influence of Liam Buckley as a key factor in his decision to join the club.
“I’m delighted to be signing for a big club like St Pat’s,” said Kilduff. “I’ve been talking to Liam quite a bit lately and he’s tried to sign me in the past so to sign for him now is great. After the success of the last few years with Pat’s winning the league and cup in the past two years, it’s great to join the club now.”
McGuinness joins the club after spending the past two seasons at Rovers, and the centre-half is excited about his move to St Pat’s.
“I’m really thrilled at the opportunity to join a good club like St Pat’s,” said McGuinness. “When Liam [Buckley] talked to me about the plans for the future, I just wanted to sign. I have to say that I haven’t looked forward to a season as much as this in a long time, and the season gone by is only over two weeks.
“I’m really excited now looking ahead to pre-season, getting the hard work done and competing for a place in the team with the other great players at the club.”
