Davidson back at Gers, Lynch and Roy sign up

Indeed, even before the arrival of new faces, the squad has been boosted by the return of Correy Davidson who had been on loan with Ards as part of the deal which brought Ben Roy to Taylor’s Avenue.

“Ards insisted on having a player in exchange and Correy went the other way as Ben came on board with us. Now Correy will be returning as an even better player following his stint in the Premier League, so it’s a win-win situation for us.

“Ben came out of contract with Ards at the end of the season and he has agreed a deal which means he’s now a full-fledged Carrick player – and that’s great news for us.

“Aaron Smyth and Jody Lynch have also signed new contracts, so they have both pledged their futures to be a Taylor’s Avenue and that’s terrific news as well.

“Hopefully, most of the others will follow. I have spoken to everybody and given them time to think about their plans and I am delighted to be able to say that not one of those players has indicated other than that they want to stay with Carrick.

“I will be meeting up with all the players again on Friday and I am confident most of them will be signing new forms. Obviously we want to get as much of the business sorted out as possible in the immediate future.

“As regards new faces, I have spoken to four or five guys I would like to come on board, but I can’t give any clues as to their identity, out of respect for the players and the clubs they have been playing for.

“The fact is that there are quite a few quality players at this level who should be able to make the step up to the Premier League but there are not many clubs with whom they can make the transition and we are one of the small number who can, because not many have the necessary licence.

“I do expect to be able to able to announce some good news in the not-too-distant future, but it will happen only when deals are done,” concluded an upbeat Haveron.