John McGovern says his main motivation to sign for Shamrock Rovers was to win trophies.
The club confirmed the signing of the 22-year-old from Dungannon Swifts on Tuesday, and he’ll be available to play from July 1st.
McGovern will arrive at the table toppers on the back of impressive form in the Northern Irish Premiership. He scored 13 goals across 34 appearances and contributed to Dungannon’s Irish Cup success.
The youngster showed his potential to be a big game player by scoring in the final against Cliftonville. Following a 1-1 draw after extra-time, Dungannon went on to win 4-3 on penalties.
McGovern confirmed numerous clubs were interested in his signature, but signing for Shamrock Rovers was a “no-brainer.”
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted, it’s a massive club. When the opportunity came knocking it was a no-brainer to come here.
“Stephen [Bradley] came into me when I was in Dungannon. I was doing alright, scoring a couple of goals, and initially he came in contact and said ‘listen, I want you to be a Shamrock Rovers player. I want you to come here and do well.
“Since first contact it was always something that interested me, coming to play full-time football, thankfully the opportunity arose, and I’ve taken it and I’m here now.
“There was interest from other full-time clubs, but you look at the success Shamrock Rovers have had in recent years, and throughout the entire club’s history.
“It’s the biggest club in this country and that’s one of the reasons why I came here.
“I want to win trophies, I want to win medals, and I want to continue the legacy of the club.”
John McGovern joining Shamrock Rovers was a year in the making
Manager Stephen Bradley said he had been scouting the forward for over a year and is delighted to get the deal over the line.
“We tried quite a bit over the last year to get him, but it wasn’t possible,” Bradley said.
“John was at university and Dungannon weren’t ready to sell at that moment in time.
“It was a case of continuing to monitor John and thankfully we’ve got him in now.
“We could have moved in on other players in the previous window, but we wanted to wait on John as he was someone we’d monitored for quite some time.
“He fits the group, has a good age profile and we really like what he’s about. So we waited and now we got it done.
“I don’t think out-and-out poachers can play in this team, as silly as that sounds, I don’t think they can. There’s so much more we ask of our forwards to do and be involved in.
“So John isn’t just an out-and-out goalscorer. If you watch him, he’s got a bit of everything, he’s someone we really like and he’s a really good person and we can’t wait to get working with him.”
A look towards his debut…
McGovern could make his Shamrock Rovers debut on July 5 when Bradley’s side travel to Sligo Rovers.
He is then likely to feature in their Europa League qualifying campaign later in July, although dates are yet to be confirmed.
Shamrock Rovers look on course to bounce back and lift the title this season.
They’ve won their last five consecutive games and sit six points ahead of Drogheda United in second.
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