Glenavon secure signing of 'born winner' as former League of Ireland star joins Irish League club
Glenavon manager Michael O’Connor believes former Dundalk star John Mountney will bring crucial experience after signing a permanent deal at Mourneview Park.
Mountney won five Premier Division titles and three FAI Cup crowns during a hugely successful eight-year stint with Dundalk, where he made over 300 appearances, and also celebrated cup glory with St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021.
The 32-year-old represented Dundalk over 30 times in Europe, including in a memorable Europa League clash against English giants Arsenal.
Mountney was most recently on the books of Bohemians, making 19 league appearances last term, and O’Connor feels his new arrival can play a key role in providing leadership for the club’s young stars.
“Every club needs born winners and experienced heads to help guide the younger players,” he said. “That’s exactly what John brings.
"He’s had a long and successful career in the League of Ireland, winning lots of medals along the way so definitely well placed to help us.
“We have a great group of lads here but they’re generally quite young and some of them are very inexperienced so it’s good to have the likes of John about the club.
"I know he’ll come straight in and be a ‘senior pro’ and be a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room.”
Mountney could make his Glenavon debut in Saturday’s clash against Glentoran and is determined to help O’Connor’s men climb the table – they currently sit eight points adrift at the bottom.
“I’m grateful to Mick for giving me this opportunity to sign for Glenavon,” he said. “It’s a great club with great fans and a pretty impressive history.
"Even though they’ve struggled a bit this season there’s definitely the belief that we can fight our way out of this position and start climbing the league.
“There’s a lot of young players with some exciting talent. I know they’re better than the current league position suggests and I want to be part of putting that right.
"I’ve played a lot of games around the League of Ireland and know what a good club looks like. The facilities here are great and I know the fans are behind the team.
“It takes hunger and desire to be in this league. You have to earn the right to be here and that is what we intend to do for the rest of this season starting this weekend against Glentoran.”