Reds Mich striker swoop

Cliftonville Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of striker Michael McCrudden.

The 28-year-old, who joins from Derry City, has prior Danske Bank Premiership experience with both Institute and Ballinamallard United and was named Championship Player of the Year by the NI Football Writers’ Association after spearheading Stute’s second-tier title success in 2017/18 – an honour he had also collected four years previously.

Formerly with Newcastle United, McCrudden had a brief spell with Derry before enjoying two stints at Institute either side of a switch to the Mallards in the summer of 2015.

His return to the Drumahoe side initiated a link with current Reds boss Paddy McLaughlin, who handed the Gobnascale man the captain’s armband for a campaign that saw the Club soar to the Championship crown.

The personal accolades continued to stack up in the Premiership, with the first NIFWA gong of last season heading McCrudden’s way before he claimed the rare distinction of two consecutive Goal of the Month awards – the second of which was presented for a well-taken finish against Cliftonville on a day when he found the net four times.

That quadruple-strike performance contributed to another Player of the Month prize just weeks ahead of the striker returning to Derry, only for a metatarsal injury to curtail his impact for the Candystripes.

Boss McLaughlin is naturally thrilled to have secured the signature of a proven Premiership goalscorer and is looking forward to renewing his working relationship with McCrudden, who is likewise delighted to have completed his move to Solitude.