Swansea City striker Josh Thomas joins Derry City on loan

The Derry City squad left for their pre-season training camp in Spain early this morning, but not before Tiernan Lynch announced that Swansea City striker, Josh Thomas, would be joining the club on an initial six-month loan deal just in time for the flight.

The 23-year old spent last season on loan at Drogheda, however a quad injury ruled him out for several months in the early part of the season. The Welshman did return to the side, eventually netting six times in 17 outings for Kevin Doherty’s team, before returning to Swansea in November.

City boss Lynch said that he had been keeping close tabs on the player and felt it was a no-brainer to bring him to Foyleside when the opportunity arose.

He said: “Josh was someone who had been on our radar for a while. I’d seen him a few times, including the cup game at the Brandywell where he gave us a really tough night.

“Swansea were keen for him to continue to develop and gain experience at senior level and we believe that this is an ideal opportunity for everyone.”

The former Wales U21 player said he was looking forward to meeting his new team mates and getting ready for the President’s Cup final at the end of the month.

“I really enjoyed playing at the Brandywell and am looking forward to doing it this year as a Derry player," Thomas said. “It wasn’t a difficult decision at all once I knew Derry wanted me over and I had spoken with the manager.

“My game is about creating and scoring goals, and while you can’t always guarantee that, I can promise the fans hard work every single time.

“It’s a really tough league and while I knew the standard would be good, I didn’t realise how good.

“I’m sure that experience will help again this year and I can’t wait for the games to start.”