Bohemians have boosted their striking options for the crescendo of the SSE Airtricity League season with the signing of Andre Wright until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old English striker joins, subject to international clearance, after a successful trial period during which he also impressed in the 1-1 friendly against Chelsea 11 days ago.
Wright came through the West Bromwich Albion academy and has most recently played for Gloucester City and impressed in the recent friendly match against Chelsea at Dalymount Park.
"Obviously since Dinny’s been out, our options have been curtailed and it was clear that we needed to strengthen up front," said Bohemians manager Keith Long.
"Andre has had a number of training sessions with us over the past two weeks and has impressed as he did in the 65 minutes or so he played against Chelsea."
Chelsea's Ethan Ampadu and Andre Wright of Bohemians - ©INPHO/Laszlo GeczoLong's striking options have been limited since first-choice frontman Dinny Corcoran suffered a long-term ankle injury at the end of May.
Corcoran could return in September but Cristian Magerusan has also been missing after he suffered a torn cruciate injury in pre-season training in January.
Long's preference is for a lone striker ahead of three attacking midfielders and the injury issues have seen Ryan Swan get more game time.
The 23-year-old bagged a brace in the 3-0 Premier Division win against St Patrick's Athletic on Sunday but that ended a run of five appearances without scoring and Long knows that Swan needs assistance.
"Ryan Swan needs support up front," added Long. "It’s his first season playing Premier Division football and he can’t do it all on his own.
"We felt we needed to look further afield than just our own league to bring someone in who could make a difference.
"Andre was someone recommended to us by Alan Caffrey through his contacts in the UK and we did our own research on him."
Wright has played for several different clubs over the last four years including, Kidderminster Harriers, Coventry City and Torquay United.
Long believes that he can hit the ground running at Dalymount.
"It’s obviously a new league to him and a new environment," said Long. "In terms of where he is fitness-wise, he’s towards the latter part of pre-season so he’s fit, not 100% match fit, but ready to feature in games.
"He’s excited to be here and looking forward to getting started.
"He’s had a few clubs since leaving West Brom so he wants a bit of stability in his career now and is determined to knuckled down and score goals for us between now and the end of the season and we believe he can."
Andre Wright arrival sees Sam Byrne released
In recent weeks Bohemians have struggled for goals, firing blanks in games against Derry City, Cork City and UCD.
The Gypsies ended that barren run with the derby win against St Patrick’s Athletic helped by the double from the man-of-the-match, Swan.
"Ryan was fantastic," said Long. "He works really hard and that’s the best we’ve seen from him in a Bohs jersey yet.
"He had a tough year last season being ruled out for the year but he works extremely hard for himself and the team, so we were delighted with his performance yesterday."
Bohemians have also confirmed that with Wright coming in, fellow striker Sam Byrne has been released from his contract.
"I want to thank Sam for his commitment to the club during his time with us," added Long.
"He needs to be playing games and I wish him all the best both personally and professionally for the future."
