Irish League boss rates new signing 'as one of the best players for his age in this country' after marking debut with Irish Cup goal

Morgan came through the youth ranks at Cliftonville before departing permanently for Ballyclare Comrades last summer, scoring 17 goals in 64 appearances for the Dixon Park outfit, including nine in 21 Championship outings this term.

After acquiring Morgan’s services last week, Feeney admitted he’d been keen to bring the 19-year-old to Clandeboye Park for some time and the young striker quickly showed why he’s so highly rated, netting just 10 minutes into his weekend debut.

The Seasiders, who sit six points clear at the top of Northern Ireland’s second-tier prior to Friday’s crunch showdown with second-placed Limavady United, secured cup progression after extra-time and will face Annagh United in the sixth round.

With the likes of Matthew Ferguson and Ben Arthurs already firing for Bangor, Feeney has an embarrassment of attacking riches at his disposal now Morgan is also at the club and believes his new recruit will only continue improving.

“He took his goal really well, it was a great finish,” Feeney told the club’s website. “He took the loose ball in his stride and just kept running with it.

“He showed brilliant control, he was brave, got in at the goalkeeper and finished really well.

“I moved him a bit deeper into midfield in the second half and I had no issues over that, he kept running and closing people down and he was heavily involved in the play.

“I took him off as I felt he was tiring a bit – he said to me he felt a bit of an injury, too, so that was a precautionary change, but I was really pleased with how he did.

“His performance fully deserved a goal and he got what he deserved. He was hardworking, his attitude, the runs he was making and his link-up play was fantastic.

“The growth in him...there’s so much growth, he has so much room to grow. He’s only going to get better, he has so much potential.

“He’s only 19 years old and he has bucketloads of ability, I rate him as one of the best players for his age in this country and there’s loads in his game that he can work on and improve, too, so he’s only going to get better.”

Feeney is close friends with Annagh boss Ciaran McGurgan, who masterminded a cup upset after his side defeated Premiership opponents Portadown 3-2 at the BMG Arena.

“I was actually speaking to the Annagh manager, we’re both happy enough with the draw,” he added. “From our perspective, it’s a home tie and it’s winnable, it could’ve been worse – and he thinks the same, it could’ve been worse.

“From my point of view, it’s a great opportunity to get through to the next round and it’s shaping up to be a really good cup tie when it does come around.

“It’ll be a tough game, as we know from Monday night (a 4-3 win for Annagh, who came back from 3-1 down) and from every time we’ve played Annagh, we have to work hard to get through to the next round against a really good side.

“But that’ll be in the back of our minds for a while, there’s still a lot of football to be played between now and then.”