Sam and substance

Cliftonville Football Club are very pleased to announce the signing of striker Sam Ashford from Ayr United.

The 27-year-old, who has made two appearances for England at C international level, began his career in the Tottenham Hotspur Academy before stints at various Non-League clubs, with particularly fruitful spells in front of goal coming at Stansted, Witham Town and Hemel Hempsted Town.

After joining Crawley Town, he enjoyed a loan stint at Woking prior to signing for Ayr in January of last year, bringing his time at the Scottish Championship outfit to an end by becoming Jim Magilton’s fifth signing for the Reds this summer.

“Sam is a player who’s been on our radar pretty much since day one,” explains the boss.

“We’ve monitored him, kept an eye on his situation and we’ve had to be patient but I’m very pleased everything has come together for us to get a deal done.

“He’s a player who will give us something extra in attack and I know he’s very hungry and very excited about coming into the Irish League with Cliftonville.”

Subject to international clearance, Sam will be available for selection when Cliftonville host Larne in Saturday night’s Sports Direct Premiership clash at Solitude.