Bell signed to replace injured ace Finnigan
SOUTH Shields have completed the signing of former Rotherham United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker Connor Bell.
The Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division promotion contenders have made a move to fill the void left by a serious injury to striker Carl Finnigan.
The Mariners confirmed on Tuesday that Bell had received international clearance and is available to make his debut in Saturday’s game at Bamber Bridge.
The deal comes as a welcome boost to joint-managers Graham Fenton and Lee Picton after it was revealed that top goalscorer Finnigan has received a setback in his recovery from the ankle injury he sustained in a 1-0 win at Witton Albion in January.
A club statement said that medical staff were unable to put a timeline on a possible return for the striker after scans revealed that he required an extended period of recovery.
And the injury blow has offered Bell a chance to play a key role in the Mariners push for a fourth consecutive promotion and he insisted that he is ready to “do the business” in a South Shields shirt.
The 22-year-old told the club’s website: “I became a free agent in January [after leaving Scottish Championship club Morton], but I’ve been doing my own bits and I’ve been training with the lads here, so I feel that I’m ready to go whenever the managers want to stick me in.
“It killed me having to watch the game on Saturday because I thought we were unlucky.
“Hopefully this weekend the gaffers will take a chance on me and I’ll do the business.”
The former Sunderland academy striker also confirmed that the Mariners saw off competition from a number of clubs to secure his signature.
And he said the opportunity to move back to his native North East was one he could not pass up.
He said: “I had a bit of interest elsewhere, but I got in touch with the managers here and you could tell straightaway how ambitious they were for the club.
“They invited me to training so I saw the quality of the lads and I’ve been to the last few games.
“With the ambition of the fans, the managers and the players, you can tell it’s a club that’s going places.
“It was a no-brainer, really.”