Treaty Utd's 2023 squad reaches 11 signed players as new captain revealed
IN a whirlwind few days Treaty United's 2023 squad has been bolstered up to 11 signed players.
And, the club captain for the new SSE Airtricity League season has also been revealed by manager Tommy Barrett.
Last Tuesday came the first confirmation of a squad member for the new season and the Limerick senior soccer club have been busy since with player signatures.
All in a week when the fixtures for the new season were announced and show Treaty at home to Bray Wanderers on the opening night of the First Division season - kick-off at the Markets Field on Friday, February 17 is at 7.45pm.
Marc Ludden is the new captain of Treaty Utd.
He joined from Galway United in 2021 and was one of the 26 players that formed the first Treaty Utd senior men’s squad.
Ludden has been an integral part of the team ever since signing racking up 65 appearances with seven goals, with his performances in 2021 earning him a place in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year.
The vastly experienced left-back was delighted to be back when he spoke to treatyunitedfc.com
“I’m delighted to be back. I have loved my time at Treaty over the last two seasons and couldn’t say no to Tommy when he asked me to come back this year. I am really hoping for another enjoyable season with the club and I can’t wait to see the fans back at the Markets Field," he said.
The new captain also touched on how the recruitment process that manager Tommy Barrett utilises means that fans should be very excited about future acquisitions.
“We have an incredible culture in the squad where we all work hard for each other; it will be no different this year. I know the fans were a little on edge with not seeing any signings until this week, what I would say to them is that Tommy has been very picky on the players that he brings in. They have to fit our mantra and the fans should be very excited about the squad that have signed, and the signings that will be announced over the coming days and weeks," said Ludden.
He is one of nine players that the club have confirmed as re-signing for the new season.
There are two new faces to-date in the 2023 plans - midfielders Ryan Connolly and Conor Barry.
Connolly brings a wealth of experience including over 150 Premier Division appearances, a Premier Division winners medal as well as appearances in the Europa League qualifying stage.
A native of Mayo, Ryan joined Sligo Rovers in 2012 after years in the UK and picked up a Premier Division winners medal that same year. After a brief loan with Longford Town, he joined Galway United in 2014 as they gained promotion to the top-flight at first time of asking.
Ryan signed for Shamrock Rovers in 2017 where he was an integral part of Stephen Bradley’s side with almost 30 appearances, including featuring in all four Europa League qualifying games that the Hoops played against Stjarnan and Mladá Boleslav. After a short return to Galway and a stint with Ballyglass, Ryan signed for Finn Harps in 2020 and spent three years with the Donegal side in the Premier Division before being relegated at the end of last season.
Barry joins from Wexford FC where he featured almost 30 times for Ian Ryan’s charges, grabbing seven goals along the way.
The Galway man started his League of Ireland career with Galway United in mid-2014 and helped them in achieving promotion to the top-flight at the first time of asking. Conor featured for the Tribesmen the following season at Premier Division level before departing.
Since then, Conor has enjoyed fruitful spells at Athlone Town, Finn Harps, a second spell at Galway United and, most recently, one season at Wexford FC.
“Ryan is a great signing for us, and he adds significantly to our options in midfield. He’s a good character with lots of experience and will add more leadership to the group. We’re delighted to have him and are looking forward to the season starting," Tommy Barrett told the club website.
“I’m delighted that Conor will be with us for 2023. We were well aware of his threat when playing with Wexford and Galway; he has an eye for goal and will give us more attacking options with his flexibility," said the Treaty manager.
Confirmed 2023 players: Marc Ludden, Enda Curran, Ben O'Riordan, Conor Winn, Dean George, Colin Conroy, Stephen Christoper, Lee Devitt, Success Edogun, Ryan Connolly and Conor Barry.