Spartans Sign Joe Kendrick

Blyth Spartans can announce the signing of left back Joe Kendrick from Mansfield Town on a three month loan deal, which will see the player at Croft Park until the end of the current season.

The 28-year-old, Dublin born defender, started his career at Newcastle United where he was a regular in their reserves. Upon leaving St James Park he signed for TSV 1860 Munchen in the German Bundesliga, but suffered a bad injury in one of his first training sessions and his career in Germany never really got going.

He returned to the UK with Darlington and has since gone onto play for Workington and Newcastle Blue Star (both under current Spartans manager Tommy Cassidy) as well as Torquay, Tamworth and Mansfield. He has also enjoyed a career abroad with spells in Ireland with Drogheda, Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers, and a spell in Azerbaijan with PFC Neftchi.

He has also won Under-21 honours for the Republic of Ireland.

He is a long time target of the Spartans and was a regular attendee of training sessions at Blyth under Harry Dunn and even played in a trial game for the club at Peterlee, but the club and player were never quite able to strike a deal. With a wife and young family, the defender was keen to return to the North East, where he is based, so the loan deal works out for all parties concerned.