Rock and role

Cliftonville Football Club extends best wishes to Donal Rocks as he commences a loan spell with Newry City.

The 22-year-old midfielder, whose Reds debut came in a Danske Bank Premiership victory over Linfield in April 2019, made a promising impact when Paddy McLaughlin gave him a run in the team during the second half of the 2019/20 season, only for the Covid-19 pandemic to call the term to an early conclusion.

Rocks would suffer personal misfortune when an anterior cruciate ligament injury forced him to miss the entirety of the following campaign and prevented him from building on the momentum of that first-team exposure, while a recurrence of the ailment also kept him sidelined throughout the 2021/22 season.

The loan switch to recently-promoted Newry offers a vital opportunity for Donal to add to his 10 senior appearances and gain some crucial Premiership experience following his rehabilitation and it goes without saying that all at Solitude wish him the very best of luck with Darren Mullen’s side.