After six seasons at Crystal Palace, Damian Delaney has completed a move back to his boyhood club, Cork City.
After spending two years playing at the Irish club, the 36-year-old also had spells at Leicester City, Hull City, Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town.
Following a free transfer to Crystal Palace, Damian Delaney was a regular in the side both in the Championship and the Premier League, making 170 appearances. Memorable moments include a long-range strike to start Palace’s comeback in the famous 3-3 draw against Liverpool at Selhurst Park.
The Irishman has also been called up nine times for the national side, winning the Nations Cup in 2011.
Speaking to CorkCityFC.ie, Delaney said:
I am really excited by what Cork City are doing and the direction the club is going in. Speaking to John, he is obviously very enthusiastic, I know he does things the right way and is driving forward, so that is something I want to be part of.
I always watched from a distance, to see the results on a Friday night. Doing the double last year was a great achievement and I am looking forward to being part of something that is moving forward. Rather than stagnating or going to a club for the sake of it… I think this club is really going forward and I want to be part of it, that’s why I chose to come here.
Playing in Europe was part of the draw for me. It will be nice to play Champions League football! It is all part of this club moving forward and that is what I want to be here for. Hopefully, there will be some good nights at Turner’s Cross for the fans and for the club in general.
The 2017-18 season saw Delaney sidelined for much of the campaign, making just four appearances as Roy Hodgson looked to the likes of Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins to hold the backline.
Regardless, this is somewhat of a coup for Cork City, who will be getting an experienced player still capable of cutting it at the highest level.
