SSE Airtricity League Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers have confirmed the signing of former Limerick and Bristol Rovers striker Rory Gaffney.
Gaffney started out with Mervue United before moving to Limerick with whom he achieved promotion from the First Division and in 2014 he bagged 14 goals for the Shannonsiders in the Irish top flight.
The 30-year-old joined Bristol Rovers on loan in the 2015/16 season before making the move permanent; his eight league goals in the second half of the campaign helped Rovers win promotion to League One.
The Tuam native joined Salford City on a three-year contract in June 2018, scoring 12 goals in 47 appearances for the club and he also spent time on loan to fellow League Two club Walsall since September.
Rovers head coach Stephen Bradley expressed his delight at finally getting the player to the Tallaght club.
"I'm really happy to get Rory in," said Bradley.
"It's something myself and Stephen McPhail have been working on and thankfully we managed to get it done. Rory obviously knows about the League from having played in it and watched it from afar over the years.
"Rory is a player I know really well having played with him a few years back at Limerick. I think he fits the way we play and fits as a person as well, so he ticks all the right boxes for us. Rory will score goals for us, there's no doubt about that.
"I've played with him [at Limerick] so I know what he's like and what his movements are like. He suits the way we play and he has all the attributes to score goals for us.
"If you look all over the squad there's really strong competition and I think Rory along with Aaron, Graham and Dean gives us good options up the top end of the pitch."
Gaffney expressed his delight at sealing his move to Tallaght Stadium and revealed that he was already approached by Rovers before leaving for England.
"I had spoken to the club before I went away to England initially and it was always a team that if I came back to Ireland I wanted to sign for," said Gaffney.
"It's the best club in Ireland. If any other club had rang me I wouldn't have been too interested in coming home. It's really just happened in the last three or four days and I was happy to take the chance."
The new signing is looking forward to trying his hand out on the European stage.
"I want to challenge for leagues and cups and there's European football as well in the summer, that'll be a new experience for me and I can't wait for it," added Gaffney.
"I haven't really scored goals in the last twelve months but I'm confident that in this team, the way they play and with the midfield and attacking players they have, they'll definitely create chances. So it's up to me to put them away."
