John Caulfield thrilled with capture of 'great leader' Conor McCormack 

New Galway United signing Conor McCormack. Photo: Sean Ryan sportsphoto.ie

Galway United have signed Conor McCormack from Derry City.

The move sees the decorated 30-year-old midfielder link up with his former Cork City boss John Caulfield who is now manager at Eamonn Deacy Park.

McCormack has a lengthy list of honours, having won two Premier Division titles and two FAI Cups during his spells with St. Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Cork City. 

He has also won the President’s Cup on three occasions, along with the Setanta Cup on two occasions, and the EA SPORTS Cup.

The Louth man began his career at Manchester United - spending two years in the youth ranks - before returning to Ireland and signing for Shamrock Rovers.

After a trophy-laden spell at Tallaght Stadium, McCormack went on to enjoy further success and win more silverware in his stints with St. Patrick’s Athletic, Derry City and Cork City.

McCormack captained both the latter two clubs, and he featured in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League during his spells with Shamrock Rovers, Derry City and Cork City.

In his time under Caulfield at Turner's Cross the pair went on to win a Premier Division and FAI Cup double in 2017.

“I’m absolutely delighted to join Galway United,” McCormack told www.galwayunitedfc.ie. “I’m really looking forward to the start of the season now. It’s been a busy few days getting the deal over the line – I’m just pleased to finally get it done now. John is a great manager, you can see what he did with Cork City, we had great success there together. I spent three years playing under him down there, now John’s come to Galway United, and hopefully we can replicate that success here.

“We will be targeting a strong start and hopefully the fans can get back into the stadium and drive us on until the end of the season.” 

Caulfield said: “Conor has got great leadership qualities, he’s a top player on the park and with the young squad that we have, I think he’s a perfect fit to come into what we’re trying to build at the club. 

"It’s taken a bit of time, Derry have been very cooperative, they obviously didn’t want to lose one of their top players, but Conor wanted to move further down and it’s a great fit for us. 

"I’m thankful to our board for going out and helping to get him into the club and obviously our sponsors too. We’re getting a player that has won major trophies and played in several European games. 

"Conor is going to come into our team and hopefully drive it forward, so that we can compete at the top of the table, that’s the reason we’ve gone out and brought him into the club. 

"Conor is only 30, he’s played with huge clubs in this league, and he’s won a lot of major honours. I’ve had Conor for a number of years, I’ve seen how he applies himself every day, he trains how he plays, and that’s what you want. 

"His overall presence, not just on match night, but around the training ground and in the dressing room, he’s just a great leader."