Fleetwood Town confirm signing of Conor McLaughlin on free transfer

Fleetwood Town have confirmed the signing of Conor McLaughlin on a free transfer after the defender left Sunderland in the summer.
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McLaughlin signs a short term deal at the club and comes in to replace injured defender Darnell Johnson who has been ruled out for the season.

The 30-year-old returns to Fleetwood having spent five years at Highbury from 2012, becoming a part of the first Town team to play in the EFL.

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He went on to play almost 200 times for the Cod Army and is still one of the highest appearance makers in the club's history.

A returning face of Conor McLaughlin at Poolfoot. Credit: FTFC.A returning face of Conor McLaughlin at Poolfoot. Credit: FTFC.
A returning face of Conor McLaughlin at Poolfoot. Credit: FTFC.

He made the switch up into the Championship to Millwall before moving to Sunderland where he was a regular both in the capital and in the North East.

The defender will wear the no.4 shirt this season and has been added to the squad thanks to clearance from the EFl who have allowed Simon Grayson to amend his squad.

McLaughlin comes into the club having played for both Preston North End and Sunderland, two sides which his new head coach has managed but neither's path have yet crossed until now.

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McLaughlin said: “It’s weird. When you start off at a new club, you’re really nervous going in because you don’t know anyone but I knew near enough the whole building except for a couple of players.

“It was really easy settling in the first few days. It’s a good group of lads as well which helps.

“The first day I came in, the first person I saw was the chairman (Andy Pilley) and he welcomed me in and brought me up to the office.”

"I was in training for a few days leading into the Sunderland game and we were comparing notes on Sunderland.

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"It's weird that we've been there at different times but they're the same clubs.

"In football you come across a lot of people that you've either worked with before or you have mutual friends with someone you've played with."