Galway United are delighted to announce that Marc
Ludden has signed a new contract with the club.
The experienced full-back has committed his future
to the Tribesmen until the end of the 2020 SSE Airtricity League season.
Ludden's new deal takes him into his seventh season
at Eamonn Deacy Park. The 29-year-old made 27 appearances for Galway United in
2019, scoring 5 goals. Ludden made headlines in September when he scored 4
goals from left-back against Cobh Ramblers in a 7-1 drubbing at Eamonn Deacy
Park.
Since joining the club in 2014, Ludden has made a
total of 167 appearances for United. Alan Murphy told www.galwayunitedfc.ie
that he was pleased to secure an infleuntial player that has been an
ever-present at left-back for the club over the last number of seasons.
"Marc has a real wealth of experience in the
League of Ireland, I'm delighted to be able to tie him down for another season.
"He's going to be crucial to what we're trying
to achieve next year. Marc is a very consistent performer, week in, week out.
His levels never drop.
"It's important to hold onto Marc, he's served
the club well. We're looking to bring in a few more players to add to the group
so that we're a competitive side that can really push on from last
season."
Ludden acknowledges that 2019 was largely a season
of development for the club but now he has set his sights on promotion in 2020.
"I'm very happy to be signing back with the
club, there was nowhere else that I wanted to play my football. The target in
2020 is to get Galway United back into the Premier Division.
"Last year was always about bringing through
young players and developing them. Alan signed a few experienced players in
Stephen Christopher, Killian Brouder and Jack Lynch and they added a bit more
balance to the side. I think towards the end of the season it was very
enjoyable for everyone. The football was good on the pitch, our fans were
coming back and we had a decent run in the FAI Cup too.
"I would've loved 12 or 15 more games to see
where we could've gone last season, I really didn't want it to end.
"Playing against Cork City and Shamrock Rovers
in the Cup really gave us a taste of Premier Division football and that's where
you want to be at, competing against the best and seeing where you stand. The
First Division is a competitive league, but hopefully if we sign well, we can
get back to playing against the best teams in the country again."
