Dungannon Swifts have announced the signing of highly-rated goalkeeper Sam Johnston.
Johnston has agreed a three-year deal with the Stangmore Park outfit after impressing for Ards over the past two seasons.
The 22-year-old was being linked with a number of clubs following Ards' relegation from the Premiership, but Kris Lindsay's Dungannon have sealed the deal.
“I am really happy to sign for a Club like Dungannon Swifts," Johnston told the club's website.
"It’s been a long process to get my name on the piece of paper but I would just like to put on record my thanks to both Chairmen, Brian Adams (AFC) and Keith Boyd (DSFC), for helping to get it all sorted, so I could come here to Dungannon.
"Dungannon is a real family Club and every time I come here, I’ve always had a good experience of people around the Club.
"If it wasn’t for the poor start for us (Dungannon) last season I personally think we would have got close to the top six, if not that seventh spot. Definitely though, moving on to next season I think we have a good chance of getting that top six spot. I think we could even push on further than that and get good runs in the Cup competitions too. I’m really looking forward to getting started in a few weeks time.”
Swifts boss Lindsay admits he has been a long-time admirer of the young goalkeeper.
“I am delighted to get Sam over the line, he’s the best young goalkeeper in the League. He’s still only 22 but he’s got a lot of experience behind him and a lot of top performances," Lindsay said.
"I am very happy to get him on board, he can only get better with age. To secure him on a three year deal gives him plenty of stability as a player but also as a Club gives us that stability in a position where we needed it.
"It’s a signing that we are looking to build the Club around, young, hungry players, who can improve and who can also hit the ground running. We want to mix them in with the experience that we already have here at Dungannon."
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