Move is worth the wait for Ballymena United as they land the services of ex-NI U19 international Joel Thompson

The 19-year-old makes his way to Warden Street after his spell at Finn Harps came to an end.

After making his debut as a 15-year-old at Crusaders, the Northern Ireland youth international joined Nottingham Forest in 2022, but unfortunately suffered a broken leg.

He would then make a switch to League Two outfit Colchester United and spent time on loan at Aveley FC to gain first-team experience.

In February this year, Thompson joined Finn Harps but has now completed a move to the Ballymena Showgrounds on a multi-year deal.

Speaking about landing Thompson’s services, Ballymena boss Jim Ervin said the move was six months in the making and that his latest recruit will add versatility to his squad.

He said: "We're really happy to get Joel in. He trained with us in January and did extremely well, but because he'd already played for two UK clubs last season, he couldn't play for a third.

"He ended up at Finn Harps for six months but we kept in contact with him and when we knew he wouldn't be staying there we were keen to get him in the building.

"We were even more happy after sitting down with him and hearing what he wants to do. He can play a number of positions, left back, left wing back, even as a number 6.

"He'll have a bit of a break because he's been playing constantly for Finn Harps recently, but he's up to speed and we're looking forward to getting him in."

Thompson will now sample Irish League football for the second time in his career and he is excited to get started on Warden Street.

"I'm buzzing, really delighted to be here. I spoke to Jim a few times about his plans and the players he has here already and it's exciting the experience the squad has.

"I'm here to come in and play. We have high hopes for this season, we want to push up the league and go on a few cup runs.

"I loved my time at Finn Harps, played plenty of games and it was really my first full season of men's football and I was ready for it."