Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that defender Reece Hutchinson will join the club on a permanent deal until the end of the 2024 season on completion of his current loan spell.
Hutchinson, who is currently on loan with the Bit O’ Red from his parent club Cheltenham Town, will now remain at The Showgrounds when his loan expires on July 1st.
The defender has started in 14 out of 15 of Rovers’ League games so far this season and has quickly become a fan’s favourite with a string of good performances both defensively and offensively.
Speaking to sligorovers.com, Manager John Russell expressed his delight at the news:
‘’I’m delighted we have secured Reece on a permanent deal.
‘’He is a really good guy who has fitted in so well with the group.
‘’His performances since joining us have been superb. He is such an attacking threat with his passing, dribbling and crossing ability.
‘’He has struck up a really good partnership with Will Fitzgerald down the left hand side of the team, where they have created a lot of goals so far this year.
‘’Reece is the perfect age profile for us. He is ambitious to do well and, I feel there is a lot more to come from him. I am sure the supporters will be excited by the news’’.
Hutchinson began his career at Burton Albion where he spent 4 years before joining Cheltenham Town in 2021.
He joined Rovers in February on an initial loan-deal, but his performances have made his permanent signing a priority.
Hutchinson is thrilled to join the club officially:
‘’I am very happy to have committed my long-term future with Sligo Rovers.
‘’There are a lot of reasons why I signed here, but the big one was purely the enjoyment of playing games and becoming the best version of myself again.
‘’It is a club full of ambitious people and I want to be a part of taking it forward and qualifying for European football.
‘’Over the next 18 months or so, I hope to bring my qualities to the team and reward the supporters with good performances and plenty of wins.
‘’I can’t thank the Manager and staff here enough for putting their full belief in me. This was another factor in signing as the people at the club have welcomed me so well since I came here.
‘’I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together moving forward. Up the Bit O’ Red’’.
The 23-year-old has settled into life in Sligo well and signs today ahead of our upcoming game against Cork City on Friday night in Turners Cross.
Rovers will be hoping to get back to winning ways as we enter a busy period with five SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division games before the mid-season break on June 9th.
The next home game takes place a week on Saturday when Derry City visit The Showgrounds at 7.45pm.