May 30, 2015 10:32:31 UK
Central Coast Mariners have signed much-travelled striker Roy O’Donovan to bolster their forward line for the 2015-16 campaign.
The Mariners, who finished third in 2013-14 and won the Grand Final the previous season, missed out on the finals last season.
He is a very humble and genuine character who will fit our community club profile.
Tony Walmsley
They managed just 26 goals in their 27 games, and coach Tony Walmsley had identified his forward line as an area that needed to be strengthened.
Walmsley has brought in 29-year-old O’Donovan on a two-year deal, hoping he can reproduce the scoring form he showed during his one-year stay with Brunei DPMM in Singapore.
The Irish-born forward netted 26 goals in 35 games for the Brunei club, before having a short spell earlier this year with Indonesian side Mitra Kukar.
O’Donovan played 17 games for Sunderland, who are 3.25 to be relegated in 2015-16, including four Premier League appearances, and later had loan periods at the likes of Blackpool and Hartlepool.
He spent three years with Coventry City from 2010 and then had a season with Northampton Town when he scored six goals in 30 games.
Walmsley said: “Roy comes with outstanding references from top managers in the UK including Roy Keane. He is a very humble and genuine character who will fit our community club profile.
“To have a striker join the Mariners with an identified work ethic who is also a proven goal scorer with natural pace and speed of thought is very exciting. With our ability to get service in from both flanks and our creativity in midfield I’m expecting a high return from Roy this season.”
Central Coast are 19.00 to win the 2015-16 Grand Final.
The former Ireland under-21 international said he was excited to get the chance to play in the A-League.
“I’m hungry to do well at the Central Coast Mariners,” he said. “I consider myself a number nine, I like to play off the shoulder of the last defender and being a nuisance to central defenders and hopefully a goalscorer.”
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