Ballymena United bring in Conor Keeley to bolster the defence

The six-foot-five centre half joins the Sky Blues from Cabinteely FC following the end of Ciaran Kelly's loan at The Showgrounds.

Keeley joins on a two-and-a-half year contract, subject to international clearance, and boss David Jeffrey is delighted to have filled the void left by Kelly's departure.

"He is a young fella who came to our attention through our established contacts in the League of Ireland, and has come well recommended to ourselves," he told the club's website.

"We've watched him this season and are delighted that although he has had several other options down south he sees us as the best next step in his career.

"Obviously without doubt the very positive experience that was had by Ciaran was also an influence there, and when we knew that Ciaran wouldn't be staying it was vitally important that we remained strong in that area of the pitch.

"Once the final clearance is through we look forward to Conor coming in and are sure that he will meet both his and our expectations."

The central defender Kelly had impressed for the Sky Blues during his brief loan spell at Warden Street helping them to six clean sheets in his 11 starts as well as scoring once.

Boss David Jeffrey had spoken of his desire to keep the 22-year-old, who only joined the Bohs from St Pats last year.

The club thanked Kelly for his "impressive performances".

READ MORE:

Stephen Lowry praises clubs' efforts in Covid response

Irish League chairman views ‘proactive’ halt as positive for 38-game hopes

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Irish and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Thank you,

Alistair Bushe

Editor