Tony McNamee will be a part of the Finn Harps squad for the 2019 season.
McNamee has been doing pre-season training with Harps in a bid to work his way into Ollie Horgan’s plans.
With the transfer window closing on Thursday, McNamee – on the books of Ulster Senior League side Swilly Rovers – will be officially a Harps player once the relevant paperwork has been completed.
“He will be on board – hopefully,” Harps manager Ollie Horgan said at a press conference this afternoon.
“Tony wants to come in. We are hopeful that he will come in.”
McNamee played with Harps during the promotion-winning campaign of 2015 and in 2016 in the Premier Division, before leaving to return to Swilly. McNamee was the USL’s top scorer in 2017/18, while at Fanad United, and he returned to his native Swilly last summer.
Now, the midfielder – who has featured for Harps in their pre-season friendlies – is poised to be back in the blue and white again.
Horgan said: “He needs more training.
“He probably needs more under his belt to go and push for a first team place, but if he keeps training the way he is training he will do that.”
Harps captain Keith Cowan welcomed the impending return of McNamee, saying: “Tony is a good footballer. It seems to work out and hopefully he can be a part of the squad again.”
Horgan admitted that Friday night’s 3-0 friendly defeat to Derry City at the Brandywell had served as something of a wake-up call for his side.
First-half goals by Adrian Delap, Eoin Toal and Patrick McClean gave City a comfortable win.
“We’re not there yet, wherever there is,” Horgan said.
“The game on Friday night was a good indicator of where we’re at – and we were well off it.
“Thankfully there are three weeks to go, but we have to use the three weeks wisely.
“It was great to find that out on Friday night, rather than find it out in three weeks’ time. I was surprised in a manner of the nick that Derry were in. I knew there would be a gap, but I didn’t realise the gap that would be.
“Derry are in great shape and we’re not. We will rectify it and try to reduce that gap to the minimum.”
Horgan has added new blood in the form of Raffaele Cretaro, Sam Verdon, Daniel O’Reilly, Colm Deasy, Caolan McAleer and Harry Ascroft.
Horgan remains on the look-out for a left back.
The Harps boss said: “Ciaran Coll has left and we’re struggling to replace. We have tried a number of people, who didn’t want to come in for what we offer.”
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