Cliftonville boss Paddy McLaughlin says he has been “blown away” by summer signing Jonny Addis' impact at Solitude.
Addis joined the Reds in June after leaving Ballymena United where he made 101 appearances in three seasons with the Warden Street club.
The 29-year-old’s Showgrounds exit surprised many onlookers and the experienced centre back has quickly emerged as a key player in the Cliftonville backline.
Addis picked up the North Belfast club’s player of the month award for September and has helped the Reds make a flying start to the season.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over Larne made it 10 unbeaten in all competitions and edged Cliftonville two points clear at the league summit.
Asked if he is still “scratching your head” at being able to recruit Addis in the summer, McLaughlin said: “I still am but we were delighted to get him on board.
“We understood how good a player Jonny was and when he became available in the summer, it was an area we felt we should strengthen in.
“We were delighted to get him in and he has definitely exceeded expectations.
“His performances in the games, his application in training and the person he is in the changing room, he has blown us all away.
“He is a great ambassador for the club because he’s one of the nicest people you’ll meet, but not only that he is also a great player. He has been top class.”
On Saturday’s win over Larne, who were second in the table prior to kick-off, McLaughlin said: “It was a good performance and a brilliant result.
“Larne are title contenders, no doubt about it, they’ll be up there challenging to win the league at the end of the season, so we are delighted.”
Cliftonville have kept two clean sheets and conceded only six goals in their eight Danske Bank Premiership outings so far this campaign.
