Cork City FC are delighted to announce the signing of Karl Sheppard.

The 23 year old joins the club having spent the last number of years at Reading and Shamrock Rovers.

Speaking after signing with the club, the striker said: “I am delighted to join the club. I spoke to the gaffer, he’s shown me around the club and, once I spoke to him, there was no second thought in my mind that I knew I wanted to come here.”

“I saw how great the fans were last year; it is a place I want to come to, I want to do well and I want to win the league. The club is moving in the right direction and I am happy to be a part of it.”

“Playing at Turner’s Cross was something I always looked forward to, so hopefully every week is going to be a big game for me now, playing in front of the big crowds. I just want to come down, work as hard as I can in pre-season and try to hit the ground running; I want score goals and play well.”

City boss John Caulfield said he was pleased to have secured the services of a player he felt could be a big addition to his squad: “I’m delighted to have tied Karl up so quickly. He probably didn’t get an extended run in the team at Shamrock Rovers last year, even though he got quite a few goals in the run-in, but he is a prolific goalscorer, he works hard, has a great attitude and I think he is ideal for us. It is an area where we needed to get quality players in and he is an established player in our league.”

“I think he will give us a lot more strength up top. He is experienced, he has played in our league for a number of seasons, he has got goals and done very well, and he has also played in Europe. He will add the goals and experience that I believe will bring us to another level and that is what we need.”

Caulfield also confirmed that he expects further news on the composition of next year’s squad in the near future, saying: “We have tied up a lot of the lads who were here last season and we have a few more that will be tied up next week. Karl is the first new player in, but obviously I am looking at bringing in a few more players; talks are ongoing, and I hope by the end of next week, that 99% of the panel would be secured and ready to go for next January.”

We will have in-depth interviews with Karl and John Caulfield to follow on CorkCityFC.ie.