Marty Havern departs from The Showgrounds with our best wishes.

Newry Manager, Darren Mullen commented “I had spoken to Marty at the start of preseason and he knew he needed to give it a real go to have any chance of playing this year. Unfortunately due to work and family commitments he has been unable to do so but leaves with our best wishes. He was a very popular member of our squad and certainly played his part in our resurgence. We wish him the best of luck at Rathfriland FC and he knows he will always be welcome at The Showgrounds.”

For our first season in the Danske Bank Premiership, Newry City AFC are delighted to announce Mark Hughes as Club Captain and Declan Carville as Vice Captain.

Newry Manager Darren Mullen commented, “Taking over the captains armband from Chris is not an easy role to fill but I’ve no doubt Hughesy is the right man for the job. He is a natural leader and along with his undoubted ability he has the full respect of the squad. His experience in the Premiership will be vital for us this season and he is a worthy representative for the club both on and off the pitch. Giving Decky the vice-captain’s role is a sign of how much he has matured as a player and a person over the past 3 years. He has developed into a very important player for us and has become one of the main characters in the dressing room. We are lucky in that we have numerous natural leaders within the group but it’s an honour for both Mark and Declan that they have been given these roles and I know they will fulfil them to the best of their ability.”

Mark Hughes: “It’s an honour to captain my hometown team going into its first season in the Premiership. I hope that we can give our brilliant fans something to celebrate come the end of the season again. I can’t wait to get started.”

Declan Carville: “I am honoured to have been chosen as vice-captain for my hometown club. This is my fourth season at The Showgrounds but there is no doubt this will be the most exciting one.”

Photographs courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

During pre-season Newry manager Darren Mullen brought in several players on trial but the two that impressed most were Noel Healy & Conall Delaney, who have now both agreed to sign at The Showgrounds.

Darren said: “I spoke to several of Noel’s former coaches and they all spoke extremely highly of both his attitude and his ability. He has backed up both those attributes in pre-season and is a very good addition to our squad. His pace and attacking play has been evident in pre-season and I’ve no doubt he will do well for us this season. Conall has shown a willingness to put the effort in to get back playing regular Premiership football. He has the experience playing with Glentoran at that level and has shown enough in pre-season to suggest that he will be an important player for us this year. Like Noel, his attitude has been first class and we are delighted to have him on board.”

Noel Healy: “I’m delighted to have signed for Newry and want to thank Darren and the coaching staff for the opportunity. I’ve really enjoyed preseason and can’t wait to play my part in this wonderful journey that the club is on. I know it’s going to be very difficult to get in the team but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”

Conall Delaney: “I am absolutely delighted to sign for Newry City and cannot wait for the first game. I made my debut appearance in the Premiership with Glentoran in March 2017 and stayed in the team right to the end of the season and was rewarded with a 2-year contract. I had a bit of interest from 3 or 4 clubs at the end of last season but I came down to train with Newry and all the boys were very welcoming. I seen how competitive they were early on and my brother had watched a bit of them last season and praised their style of play and that sealed it for me. I can’t wait to get playing again and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Darren for showing his interest in me. Newry’s first season back in the Premiership is going to be special for the city and for the fans, I’m looking forward to our first game against Glentoran, hopefully I can get one over on my old club.”

Since the club has reformed we have witnessed the benefit of former players returning to the club and today we are delighted to add Andy Coleman to that list.

Manager Darren Mullen  commented “Although Andy has always said that he wanted to return to the club someday, this is a signing that has come out of the blue, but one that I couldn’t afford to lose out on. In my opinion he’s one of the top 5 goalkeepers in the country and comes back to the club with a wealth of experience. Steven Maguire has been brilliant for us but we’ve used 3 other different keepers in pre-season and it’s a position that needed strong competition.

“Having Andy back is another sign of progression at the club and the fact that he knows the majority of the players will make it easy for him to join the group. I would also like to place on record my thanks to Rodney McAree and Dungannon Swifts for the manner in which they have allowed this move to happen.”

Andy Coleman: “Firstly I would like to thank Dungannon for letting me return to my hometown club. For them to allow a player to leave one week before the season starts speaks volumes of the class and integrity the club have. I always had an agreement from day one that if Newry were to return to the Premiership they would let me go and they were true to their word. Newry is a club my dad brought me to watch over 20 years ago and The Showgrounds is the place where I spent my late teens and early 20s which shaped me to be the person I am today. I can’t wait to get started again with Mickey Keenan and see some old faces, the club is only heading in one direction and is better run now then ever from top to bottom, I’d have been mad to turn it down.”