New signing keen to work alongside Hill
NEW Rochdale signing Reece Brown says the prospect of playing under manager Keith Hill was a big factor in him deciding to join the club.
Brown became Rochdale’s first signing of the summer after the defender put pen to paper on a one-year deal.
The 25-year-old most recently played for Bury, but is now excited to link up with his new teammates and manager at the Crown Oil Arena.
“I’m really happy to have signed. Once I spoke to Keith Hill and he told me what he wants to do here, I was keen to join the club,” he told the club’s official website.
“What he has achieved over the last few years has been brilliant. He also showed willingness that he wanted me to come here, so that also played a big part in my decision.
“I know some of the lads who are here and they’ve told me that it’s a good place to be, which is important.”
Brown came through the youth academy at Manchester United, having loan spells at the likes of Ipswich Town, Oldham Athletic, Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers during his time at Old Trafford.
He left United in 2013 to sign for Watford, and has also spent time at Barnsley, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Carlisle United.
Brown has been capped by England at U19 and U20 level, and manager Hill expects him to make an impact.
“Reece has got pedigree and he’s got great technical ability. I look at his record and he’s the type of profile player that I’m used to acquiring,” he said.
“We’ve agreed a one-year deal, which suits everybody, so let’s see if we can get him going.
“He also gives me great flexibility when looking at the make-up of the squad.”
Meanwhile, Rochdale’s pre-season schedule has continued to take shape after they announced a friendly against Halifax Town.
The match against the newly promoted National League club will take place at the Shay on Tuesday 18 July, with kick-off set for 7:45pm.
The game takes place on the same night that Rochdale have a pre-season game at Victory Park against Chorley, meaning Hill’s squad will be split in half across the two fixtures.
Other confirmed pre-season matches for Rochdale this summer include a home game against Barnsley on Tuesday 25 July, and a trip to the Globe Arena to take on Morecambe on Saturday 29 July.