Having won an Irish League title with Crusaders, Howard Beverland knows what it takes to thrive in the Premiership and the veteran defender is confident his former Bangor teammate Lewis Francis can successfully make the transition after signing for Loughgall this summer.

The 20-year-old spent last season on-loan with the Championship outfit from Dungannon Swifts and could be in line for his Villagers debut on Saturday when Dean Smith’s side get their campaign underway against Carrick Rangers at Lakeview Park.

Not only did centre-back Francis play his part in the second-tier’s second-best defence, but he also showed his threat in the other box too having scored 10 league goals – a return some strikers would have been happy with.

After arriving at Clandeboye Park from Ballyclare Comrades in January, Beverland and Francis were both consistent presences in the Seasiders team that ultimately just missed out on promotion only 12 months on from booking their Championship return.

placeholder image — Lewis Francis joined Loughgall this summer after impressing on-loan at Bangor last season. PIC: Loughgall FC

Beverland has played over 300 matches in the top-flight having also spent time at Coleraine and Portadown either side of lifting the 2017/18 Premiership crown during four years at Seaview, so there aren’t many better judges when it comes to assessing the league’s young talent.

Francis’ performances undoubtedly caught the eye of many clubs heading into the summer, but Beverland feels he has chosen correctly and will be able to make the transition into an established star in County Armagh.

"I had a Premiership manager contact me during the season about Lewis and I gave him a glowing report because he did really well at Bangor,” he said. “It was a pretty short time and it has all happened very quickly for Lewis, but that's testament to how well he has done in that time.

"He scored a lot of goals for Bangor which has caught the eye and he fits in really well to the changing room. He's a young lad, but mature beyond his years and he's keen to learn and challenge himself.

"You can see the strides he took at Bangor and you have to give credit to Lee and the coaching staff for that as well. I think it's a great club for him to move to and he has great attributes so I've no doubts he will continue to improve."

Francis will likely have a key role to play at both ends of the pitch as Smith’s side look to follow up their impressive Premiership return in the new campaign, which starts with fixtures against Carrick, Portadown, Linfield and Dungannon in the first month.

"He comes alive in the box,” added Beverland. “He's a big lad but he's really sharp too. A few of the goals were headers as you'd imagine, but he scored a few with his feet too so he's in the right place at the right time.

"He has definitely scored more in the box than I have across my career! He's a threat and he would probably play himself up front if he could!

"You quickly see in the changing room he's in the middle of the banter and he's a confident lad. He's good fun to be around which will help him settle into the changing room and then stepping up into a very good league against some really good teams and players."