Stewart becomes latest player to join resurgent Sligo

Sligo Rovers have continued their recruitment drive in the July window with the signing of defender Sean Stewart from Cliftonville on an 18-month deal.

The left-sided Northern Ireland underage international arrives at the Showgrounds for an undisclosed fee and is manager John Russell's fifth signing of the summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old was with Norwich City before moving to Belfast side Cliftonville.

He won an Irish Cup in 2024.

Stewart featured in Rovers' recent friendly with Mansfield Town and has represented Northern Ireland at various levels all the way to the Under-21s.

"John Russell had been chasing me for a while and once I knew the clubs were happy to come to a deal and I spoke to him, I wanted to come here straight away," Stewart said.

"He is hugely ambitious for the club's future and I want to be part of that.

"I've always had a big interest in the league here and followed the teams and results. It has grown enormously over the last few years and is further becoming such an attractive league to play in for young players. I couldn't turn down the chance to play here.

"It has developed so many players recently and Sligo is one of those clubs that realises the importance of giving younger players an opportunity. You only have to look at the average age of the current squad. The manager puts trust in his players, a young squad and it's paid off the last few weeks when you look at the results we're starting to pick up."

"I will have to work so hard to earn a place in the team and that's been obvious to me even before I arrived. We play with aggression and always try to be on the front foot and that's how I want the teams I play in to operate. I cannot wait to get started here."

James McManus, Ryan O'Kane, Patrick McClean and Seb Quirk have already joined the Bit O'Red this month.

Kevin Zefi also appeared as a trialist in the Mansfield game.

Russell lost Reece Hutchinson to Crewe Alexandra in this window and has brought in Stewart as a replacement. "Sean is a hugely promising talent who already has a lot of experience in senior football and has represented Northern Ireland at underage level," he said.

"I have signed him as we feel his physical profile and attributes certainly match what we already have here at Rovers.

"He is strong defensively and is a player who really likes to get involved in attacking phases of play, which suits our style. I have had plenty of conversations with Sean before I signed him and he's highly motivated to come here. He knows what we want from him and I feel he matches the type of player we need.

"We feel he has a really high ceiling and we have done very well to get him here."

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