Coleraine make defender fifth summer arrival as trialist impresses enough to earn deal at Ballymena United

The attacking full-back joins from Watford – where he has agreed a one-year extension to his contract – before making the move across the Irish Sea.

Hunt has been at the Hornets for the last three years and was a mainstay in the club’s U21 side last season.

However, he now joins Jay Henderson, Ben Doherty, Conor McMenamin and Aidan Wilson in making the move to The Showgrounds this summer.

Speaking about his first venture into senior football, Hunt said: “The main thing for me is that the manager, the staff, the players and the club seem to be the right fit.

“I’ve played most of my career for Watford U21s where there isn’t as many fans coming to the games, so to play in front of good crowds is a big appeal to me.

“I know I’m joining a club who has recently won the Irish Cup and to potentially be involved in Europe later this month would be a massive achievement.

“It was too good of an opportunity not to come here and I packed my bags as soon as I heard of Coleraine’s interest.”

Bannsiders boss Ruaidhri Higgins was pleased to add Hunt to his pack for the challenges ahead, labelling the 19-year-old as a player with “real potential”.

“He’s got great athletic attributes and he’s physically ready to play at this level,” he continued.

“He is rated very highly at Watford and the loan market worked well for us last year with Zane Okoro and Aidan Harris.

“He’s a very good athlete and he will provide us with another good option in that part of the pitch.”

Meanwhile, Ballymena United have also continued their recruitment drive by announcing the arrival of versatile midfielder Caoimhin McConnell.

The 25-year-old has penned a deal at The Showgrounds after impressing during a recent trial period with the club.

McConnell began his career in the Irish League with Cliftonville, making twenty appearances as a teenager for the Reds, before a loan move to Ards materialised in 2019.

A year later, McConnell headed for pastures new as he began a scholarship in the United States, where he represented the likes of Crusaders, Bryant Bulldogs and Little Rock, at a high standard of USA football.

However, the former Northern Ireland U19 international has now returned home and has chosen Oran Kearney’s side as his next destination.

The standard at training has been really good and so have the friendlies we've played and I'm delighted to be here,” McConnell told Ballymena United’s website about his move.

"I've felt welcomed since I've came in and now I'm really part of the team.

"I know Barry Johnston and Donal Rocks from my time at Cliftonville, so I reached out and asked if I could come in and luckily I was able to."

Kearney said of his latest arrival: "Caoimhin was actually one of the first we looked at back in December. Barry Johnston knows him and his pathway well both here and in America and its clear to see he has a really good brain and technical ability and with a bit of time to adjust, he could become a big player for us."