Carlisle United Football Club can confirm that left-sided defender Jack Iredale has agreed a one-year deal which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2020.
Completion of this deal will take place next month [June], when his current contract with Greenock Morton draws to a close, and will remain subject to international clearance and the filing of all related contract and registration paperwork.
Manager Steven Pressley said: “Jack is a good size, he’s athletic and he’s very quick. I’d say that at this moment in time he has real strengths in his attacking play, and that’s something we know we want to work with.
“He’s also a good defender, let’s be clear on that, but as with any player there are always aspects you see as a coach that you think you can help to improve.
“When you’re bringing players to League Two you accept that you’re never going to find the complete player, but he has the raw attributes which can be utilised and developed, and that really excites us.”
“He’s a good age, only 23, and he’s ambitious,” he continued. “He was brought up in Australia and his dream was always to play at the highest level he possibly could in England. Hopefully this is his first step towards doing that.
“I don’t want to work with a huge squad next season, so all the players I bring in will be vying for first team places, and that’s very much the case with Jack. He’ll be looked upon as a starter, but he still has to earn that jersey. We won’t be given anything away at all when it comes to team selection.”
“It’s a big boost to get the first signing over the line so early,” he told us. “We have a big summer ahead of us where we’re going to have to bring in a number of players, so it was vital we started quickly. I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to do that with what I think is a very good young player.”
Iredale was born in Greenock but emigrated with his family to New Zealand, and then on to Australia, when he was a youngster. He played for Perth Glory and ECU Joondalup whilst down under, plying his trade in the National Premier Leagues.
He returned to Scotland and signed for his hometown club of Greenock Morton in the summer of 2017, where he went on to score four goals in 49 appearances. He also made 14 appearances for Queens Park, scoring once, during a three-month loan spell with the Spiders between September and December 2017.