To Derr is to do

Cliftonville Football Club are very pleased to announce the loan signing of Conor McDermott from Derry City.

The 21-year-old defender is Paddy McLaughlin’s first close-season addition to the Reds’ squad and will soon link up with his new team-mates as preparations for the Europa League begin in earnest.

The Club can, in addition, confirm that goalkeeper Declan Dunne has returned to Solitude following his own loan spell with Bluefin Sport Championship side Portadown, while defender Aaron Donnelly has signed a new contract.

Moving on from Cliftonville, meanwhile, is Jaimie McGovern, to whom the Club offers sincere thanks for his service over the last seven years.

A history-maker from the very start, McGovern made his debut in the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Kalmar in the Europa League back in 2012 – the first time the Club had ever won a continental fixture at Solitude.

At the end of that same season, he had contributed to a glorious Danske Bank Premiership and League Cup double and promptly repeated the feat during the 2013/14 campaign.

A key member of the side which won a record-breaking four consecutive League Cups and also picked up a County Antrim Shield medal as part of an impressive haul, Jaimie made a total of 273 appearances for Cliftonville and famously scored just a single goal – a sweetly-struck half-volley in a 3-3 draw with Glenavon at Mourneview Park in January 2016.

Everyone at Solitude extends gratitude for McGovern’s sterling efforts during his time at the Club and wishes him well in his future career.