Keith Football Club manager Craig Ewen pleased with signing of Craig Gill from Inverurie Locos and targets an experienced striker
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Keith manager Craig Ewen believes he has signed an experienced and versatile performer in midfielder Craig Gill.
Gill (24) arrived from Inverurie Locos, who recently signed Keith midfielder Dem Yunus.
The Maroons landed a fee from Locos as well as Gill, who became boss Ewen’s second close signing following the capture of defender Murray Addison from Formartine United.
Ewen couldn’t reveal the identity of a third signing he hopes to complete this summer for an experienced striker who is still on the books of a junior club.
He admitted he was disappointed to lose Nigerian-born Yunus, who Keith signed from Cove Rangers in 2020.
“Dem had a year to go on his contract and I made him a new offer for an extension,” Ewen revealed. “He said he wasn’t looking to stay beyond the end of his contract.
“So the club had to make a decision on whether to keep him for a year or sell him and try to get a free. “That’s how it panned out, the deal was an undisclosed fee plus Craig Gill so the club has taken in some cash.
“Dem has done well for the last couple of years but he is at an age where he wanted to try something different and I wasn’t going to stand in his way.
“He is a player who would always have been looking to move on at some point. Locos showed an interest in Dem a while back and that’s where he has ended up.
“He was a good player for us and we will definitely miss him but we wish him all the best.”
Moving the other way from Locos to the Maroons is Gill, a player who has been on Ewen’s radar for some time and who was interesting other Highland League clubs.
Ewen said: “It could have happened a wee bit earlier. He had a number of clubs interested in him so he was trying to make a decision on where he wanted to go and we were delighted to get him over the line.
“For 24 he has really good experience. He was injured for a lot of last season and didn’t feature as much but the season before he played in something like 34 games out of 40.
“He has good flexibility, he can play as a holding midfielder or a full back and all his best years are ahead of him. He had a good technical base as he was up at Caley Thistle as a youth and he looks a really good fit for the club.
“He needed to go somewhere he would play more regularly and I think Keith is a good club for him to show what he is all about.”
Ewen was equally pleased to seal a deal for Addison (21) who impressed at centre back in his loan spell from Formartine last term.
“He had to make a decision for his own development and career to go somewhere where he would play regularly. We are delighted to get him and if he comes into the form that he showed at the back end of the season then we will be more than happy with that.
The Keith manager is eager to add to his firepower up top, with an experienced front man set to complete a move to Kynoch Park once the north junior season has been completed.
Ewen is also hopeful that Tom Andrews, who missed much of last season due to work commitments, will be available more often.
