'I jumped at the chance to be here': New Glentoran 'keeper aiming to make his mark at The Oval
Glentoran have bolstered their goalkeeping options by agreeing a deal for English-born stopper Billy Crellin.
The 25-year-old joins the east Belfast side for the remainder of the 2025/26 Premiership campaign after being released by Everton in the summer.
A graduate of Fleetwood Town’s academy, Crellin gained early first-team experience through loan spells with FC United of Manchester, Chorley and Bolton Wanderers, before making the move to his boyhood club Everton in 2022.
During his time on Merseyside, he featured prominently for the club’s U21 and U23 sides and impressed on loan at Accrington Stanley, where he made 34 appearances in League Two during the 2024/25 season.
Born in Blackpool, Crellin has made 50 Football League appearances and represented England from Under-17 to Under-20 level and was part of the squad that won the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Speaking about his move to Declan Devine’s side, Crellin said: “I’m absolutely delighted to sign for Glentoran. It’s all happened really quickly, but the moment I heard about the opportunity I jumped at the chance to come here. This is a massive club in Northern Ireland with a proud history and passionate supporters and it’s a huge opportunity for me to experience something completely different in my career.
“I’ve trained with the lads and they’re a great bunch. You can see from their results so far that the team is playing well and pushing hard at the top end of the table. I know it’s going to be a difficult task to get into the team ahead of Andrew Mills, who’s been excellent, but I trust my ability and I’m looking forward to working with the coaching staff every day to try and force my way into the starting line-up.”
Glentoran moved to sign the custodian after an injury to fellow goalkeeper Peter Urminský.
On his new recruit, Devine stated: “We had to react quickly to Peter’s unfortunate injury and from the very first conversation with Billy, it was clear how determined he was to come here, play games and help us win football matches.
"He’s a modern goalkeeper who is excellent with the ball at his feet, brave and commands his area.