Friars aiming to fire Rangers in right direction

Carrick’s latest recruit, Sean Friars, says he wants to help fire the club back to the Premier League.

The 33-year-old striker, who was released by Dungannon Swifts earlier this month, has a agreed a deal until the end of the season, and if he gets his way, he will be around Taylor’s Avenue for a long time to come.

The ex-Liverpool apprentice has also revealed he came close to signing for Rangers a year ago, but, instead, opted to follow his younger brother Emmet to Stangmore Park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The former Northern Ireland under-21 international and Ipswich Town player has a few weeks to wait before pulling on the Amber shirt when the transfer window flings open in January.

“I’m here to the end of the year but, to be honest, I could see myself being at Carrick for a long time. I want to get promoted with the club; that’s the ambition. I’m going to Carrick to enjoy my football,” he said.

A glance at the Championship 1 table suggests Michael Hughes’s men, who haven’t won in the league since September, will need to put together a truly remarkable run if they are to begin to hope about bouncing back to the top flight at the first time of asking. And, while Friars is realistic about the club’s current standing, he says he’s optimistic he can help provide the firepower to propel Rangers in the right direction.

“Hopefully, I’ll bring goals to the team,” he said. “By all accounts, the boys are creating a lot of chances and there are a lot of good players there from what I have seen. The club has just come down from the Premier League and all the ambition is to get back there.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Personally, I just want to bring goals, but more than that, we have a good, young squad. I’ll maybe bring a bit of experience, a bit of football knowledge. Basically, too, while I’m there playing... I’d like to help the boys around me and pass on as much information as I can.”

He added: “As long as the team keeps creating the chances, things will turn. And when it does turn, there will be a wee bit of momentum and confidence and we can charge up that league and with the games in hand, there’s nothing stopping the team (doing well).”

Friars, who has had spells with Cliftonville and Newry City, was first approached about joining Carrick shortly after Hughes took over in the hot-seat 12 months ago.

“This time last year, I was very close to signing, but, at the last minute I signed for Dungannon to play alongside my brother,” he revealed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had a phone call from Michael (Hughes) and just his knowledge and his thoughts, and the way he sees the game and how he wants his team to play, is exactly how I was taught when I was in England. It was really good to hear it because I don’t feel as if I’ve heard those kind of thoughts on the game since I left England.

“Even when I phoned to tell him I was off to Dungannon, we both agreed we would like to work with each other at some stage, because of the understanding we had.

“Not that I regret not going (to Carrick) the first time, but there was always something in me that said I’d would like to play for Carrick under Michael. My mind was, more or less, made up as soon as I had spoken to him.”