Pádraig Amond is returning to the League of Ireland after signing for newly promoted Waterford ahead of the upcoming SSE Airtricity League season.
The much-travelled striker began his career at Shamrock Rovers before signing for Sligo Rovers in 2010, where he scored 17 goals in 27 games.
After less than a season at The Showgrounds, where Amond helped the club to a cup double, the Carlow man departed for the Portugal top flight in August 2010 - before the latter stages of the FAI Cup victory - signing for Paços de Ferreira.
But Amond was again on the move a year later, signing for Accrington Stanley, and then moving on to Morecambe in 2013, where he spent two seasons.
Amond produced a 30-goal season at Grimbsy in the 2015-2016 season to help the Mariners back into League 2, before moving on to Hartlepool.
A move to Wales and to Newport County would see the talismanic striker establish himself as a fine goalscorer over a five-year stint, which included some memorable FA Cup goals, including a fine effort in a defeat to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
That goal-scoring form saw Amond called into the Ireland squad in 2019, however, he could not add a senior cap to his under-21 appearances.
Our new No.9 in Waterford Blue 😍#WaterfordFC pic.twitter.com/pkCOypTvAj
— Waterford FC (@WaterfordFCie) January 26, 2024
Amond departed Newport in 2022 and has spent time at Exeter, and more recently Woking, in the National League, before signing for Waterford.
"I’m delighted to have signed; delighted to be back home," said Amond, on the club website. "Looking forward to seeing what the year is going to be like, so I’m really pleased to be here – it’s a really exciting time.
"I think it’s quite a young squad, so I’m hoping I can use my experiences that I’ve had in my career so far to help those younger players and which in-turn will help the club as well. I’m here to learn from them too, and use their youthful exuberance to keep me along the way as well. I met the lads this morning and they all seem to be really good."
Head coach Keith Long said: "We're delighted to have Pádraig at the club. His leadership qualities and experience will be invaluable to us. He’s a model pro and we hope that he’ll pass on those qualities to some of our younger players to help us in the Premier Division.
"He looks after himself extremely well, he’s in great condition. We’re going to need players of his quality, with his experience, his background. I’m delighted that he saw his future at Waterford. We’re looking forward to working with him. He’s been in & around training and looks really sharp.
"He’s given everybody a bit of a lift coming in, so it’s positive, and on a personal level I’m looking forward to working with Podge because, from a managers point of view, it’s always good to tap in to different experiences. Podge has played and had an extensive career over many-many years. That’s something that the coaching staff will look to tap into over the course of the season."
