Adam Salley reveals the reasons behind his decision to choose Newry City over other interested clubs

The 26-year-old netted a remarkable 27 times for Matthew Tipton’s side during the 2022/23 campaign, becoming the first player to win three NIFWA Championship Player of the Month awards and was nominated for Championship Player of the Year.

That form generated interest from a number of clubs but Newry City won the race for his signature with Salley saying a desire to continue playing week in, week out was a big motivation behind the switch.

"There were a lot of clubs interested but there are some clubs that you're like 'are you going to be playing every week? Are you going to be worth doing the travelling to go down and sit on the bench?',” he told Newry City’s media team. “Last season I played every game I could and I want to continue that this year.

"You can't do much sitting on the bench so that's my main aim. My dad is from Newry so I think he will be happy! He lives in Banbridge so he can watch me a bit more than he did for Ards last season."

Salley has played over 100 times in the Premiership since making his top-flight debut as a substitute for Linfield in August 2015, scoring 22 goals across spells with the Blues, Carrick Rangers and Portadown.

"I'm 26 and coming off the back of a really good season,” he added. “I want to get a good pre-season and hit the ground running.

"I would like to score goals in pre-season and bring that into the season whoever we're playing whether it's Linfield at home or Coleraine away. I would to go get goals and results and show you're not just here to be pushed over.

"I have played in the Premiership before against all of the teams so know what to expect.”

The Showgrounds outfit finished 10th in the table to preserve their Premiership status after being promoted from the Championship and will be under new management this term with Gary Boyle taking over from Darren Mullen.

Salley watched on from afar as Newry tested some of the best teams in the league and he’s looking to play a part in something similar this time around.

"The target is to stay up easier,” he said. “We've brought in a few signings with myself included and we have more players coming in hopefully and Gary is going to be sorting that out.

"I seen the results last season and they were maybe getting pinched 2-1 by Crusaders and Cliftonville - those were teams that at the time were fighting for the league."