Forward Offord joins Linfield from St Mirren

Kieran Offord has left Scottish Premiership club St Mirren to join Irish Premiership side Linfield for an undisclosed fee.

The league leaders have reportedly seen off the challenge of big Belfast rivals Glentoran in securing the signature of the 20-year-old Scot.

Offord had just been recalled by his parent club midway through a season-long loan spell with Crusaders.

The striker scored 10 goals in 21 Premiership appearances for the north Belfast club, netting a further four goals in five outings in knockout cup competitions.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kieran to Linfield - he is a player we have been tracking for a number of months, and we believe he has the ability to add more quality to the squad in this crucial period," Blues boss David Healy told the club website.

"His time at Crusaders has shown that he has what it takes to be a top player in this league, he has a good goal scoring record at this level and we're looking forward to working with him to develop further.

"I'd like to thank the club for their persistence in getting this done and also thank you to our Head of Recruitment Willie McKeown for his hard work in getting this signing over the line."

Prior to his Crusaders loan spell Offord made 14 senior appearances for St Mirren and spent time on loan at other Scottish clubs including Stirling Albion, Alloa Athletic and Edinburgh City.

"Once we spoke to Willie McKeown and David Healy, we felt this was the club for Kieran to take the next step in his career," said Offord's agent Phil Korklin.