The summer transfer activity in the Irish League has kicked off with notable developments, including a transfer request from a Ballymena United star and the confirmed departure of two players from Irish Cup champions Cliftonville.
Ballymena United recently secured their position in the top-flight by defeating Championship side Institute 2-1 over two legs in a play-off earlier this month. However, it appears that Scot Whiteside is now on the verge of leaving the Showgrounds.
Whiteside, 26, who previously honed his skills in Rangers’ academy and had stints at Partick Thistle, joined Ballymena from Derry City in 2018 after a period with Coleraine. He has since made over 130 appearances for the club.
Whiteside faced a setback in September 2020 when he sustained a serious knee injury, sidelining him for the entirety of both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. This unfortunate event occurred after his contributions helped David Jeffrey’s Ballymena United side reach the 2019/20 Irish Cup final, where they were defeated by Glentoran.
Upon his return, Whiteside played a pivotal role in Ballymena’s journey back to the Irish Cup final in 2023, marking the club’s second consecutive appearance in the showdown against Crusaders.
However, after a six-year tenure on Warden Street, Whiteside’s time at Ballymena is now likely to come to an end, as the club announced: “Ballymena United can announce that Scot Whiteside has submitted a transfer request and is free to speak to other clubs.”
In other news, Seanna Foster and Jamie Robinson have both confirmed their departures from Cliftonville this summer.
Foster, a former Northern Ireland youth international, joined Solitude from Warrenpoint Town in 2019. He spent the last two seasons on loan at Bangor, aiding them in winning the Premier Intermediate League and initiating a Championship title bid. Foster expressed his gratitude to Cliftonville on social media, signaling the end of his five-year journey with the club.
Meanwhile, centre-back Robinson arrived at Cliftonville from Chesterfield in 2022. He spent the latter half of last season on loan with Ballymena. Robinson thanked Cliftonville for his two-year stint at the club via Twitter.
Reds manager Jim Magilton has already begun shaping his squad for the upcoming season with the signings of Michael Newberry from Linfield and Luke Conlan.
geraldine ikyelleve 
Jonathan Jonathan