Casey completes Shels switch

Cliftonville Football Club offers thanks and best wishes to Odhrán Casey, who has today completed a transfer to Shelbourne.

A product of the Reds Academy, Odhrán made a total of 143 senior appearances for the Club and bowed out by captaining the team in last night’s draw with Ballymena United, where he was joined in the starting XI by fellow Academy graduates Joe Sheridan, Keevan Hawthorne and debutant Shea McGarry.

His first listing on a Cliftonville teamsheet came when he was an unused substitute in a League Cup tie with Carrick Rangers in October 2018 before being handed his debut by Caretaker Manager Michael Press in a Premiership fixture against Glenavon at the age of 16 three months later (above).

Having penned his first professional contract in the summer of 2020, a volleyed strike against Coleraine in December 2022 was the first of six goals the Northern Ireland Under-21 international scored for the Reds, with the most celebrated arguably being an injury-time winner to defeat Carrick in January 2024 (below), although he did also pop up with a memorable last-gasp leveller against Glentoran just a few weeks later.

Proud to have worked his way through the youth system at Solitude to firmly establish himself in the first team, initially under Paddy McLaughlin’s management, Odhrán’s fierce commitment to the cause was underlined when he refused to let the trivial matter of a broken leg stop him joining the celebrations when he was part of Jim Magilton’s side that lifted the Irish Cup on an iconic afternoon in May of 2024.

Despite suffering a broken leg during the 2024 Irish Cup Final

Odhrán kept track of the match on the BBC iPlayer

... before welcoming his son and the Irish Cup to hospital...

... and enjoying the trophy tour

He returned to fitness to help Cliftonville not only lift the BetMcLean Cup last term, but also to qualify for the UEFA Conference League and has earned two of the Club’s Player of the Month awards this season, augmenting a personal honours collection that also includes the 2023/24 Young Player of the Year accolade, not forgetting that he also won the Championship title during a loan stint with Newry City in 2022.

A popular figure with supporters and team-mates alike, all at Solitude are immensely proud of Odhrán’s progress throughout a long association with the Club and it would be remiss to let this occasion pass without acknowledging the various underage coaches who guided him through our Academy set-up before he broke into the senior side just shy of seven years ago.

Commenting on his move, Odhrán said: “I’ve loved my time at Cliftonville and would like to thank all the Managers and coaches who have helped me become the player I am today.

“I’ve always been proud to play for the Reds and have great memories from the last seven years with the first team as well as during my time coming through the Academy.

“Every young player grows up dreaming of being a full-time footballer and I’m no different. The chance to join Shelbourne and make that dream come true is one I couldn’t turn down and that’s why I was so keen to get the deal done and make the move.

“I want to thank the Cliftonville fans for their support and I wish Jim, Skin and all the players in the dressing room the best of luck for the rest of the season and in the future.”

Reds boss Magilton, meanwhile, said: “Odhrán’s progress in the two-and-a-half years since Gerard Lyttle and I came to the Club has been nothing short of phenomenal.

“He has been magnificent on the pitch and a huge personality within our changing room. Players of his quality will always attract attention from other Clubs and the opportunity of playing full-time football is one that he wanted to pursue.

“We wish him very well and have no doubt that he will be a success during his time with Shelbourne.”

While Casey joined three fellow graduates in the starting line-up last night, that seven of the 16 Reds players who took the field in the game have at one stage or another featured for our Academy teams is testament to the sterling work undertaken by Marc Smyth and his army of dedicated coaches.

Odhrán is just one of many shining examples who will be an inspiration to future generations of Reds stars to come and, in thanking him for his services as a Cliftonville player, we wish him every fortune as he commences the next chapter of his career with Shelbourne.