Coventry City defender Richard Keogh has praised his former team mate Stephen O'Halloran and has said he thinks Carlisle have made a very good signing.
Keogh moved from Carlisle, where he was a cult hero, to Coventry City last year and played several times alongside O'Halloran in the Sky Blue.
Keogh said: “I think it’s a bit of a coup for Carlisle to have acted so quickly to bring Stephen in. He is a great lad, works hard and is a very good player.”
O'Halloran was released after just one injury plagued season at The Ricoh following his move from Aston Villa, where he also suffered a long injury layoff with cruciate knee ligament trouble.
O'Halloran signed a pre contract agreement which will lead to a one year deal from August 1, but he will have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Keogh believes that O’Halloran has proved his character by returning to fitness after suffering from serious knee injuries and has sufficient quality to help the Blues mount a promotion challenge next season.
Keogh said: “Cruciate injuries are hard for anyone to come back from, but Stephen has done that. He got his head down and has a great attitude and having been at Villa and won two full caps shows he has a good pedigree."
“He is quite an attacking full-back who likes to go forward and that’s probably why Greg wanted to bring him in. When he got in the Coventry team last season he was doing well, but a different manager came in with different ideas, and that’s football."
“Hopefully he will have a good season with Carlisle and help push them onto the play-offs.”