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Coming home: Chris Forrester is looking forward to a 'fresh start' back in Dublin with his former club. Donall Farmer/INPHO

St Pat's confirm the return of former favourite Forrester as part of double signing

Forrester and Rhys McCabe will bolster Harry Kenny’s midfield this season.

SAINT PATRICK’S ATHLETIC have confirmed the signings of midfield duo Chris Forrester and Rhys McCabe, with the former having left Aberdeen by mutual consent and the latter joining from Sligo Rovers.

A former fans’ favourite in Inchicore, Forrester has signed a three-year deal with the club for whom he scored 38 goals in 112 appearances between 2012 and 2015.

Forrester, 26, left Pat’s for League One Peterborough and made an instant impact, earning the captain’s armband and a new three-year contract at London Road.

He was also called into an extended Ireland squad under Martin O’Neill during his spell with The Posh, but fell out of favour with his club during the 2017/18 season before being transfer-listed by manager Steve Evans.

The former Ireland U21 international moved to Aberdeen for a fee of £200,000 last summer, but after a spell blighted by homesickness — Forrester’s daughter currently lives in Dublin, and his family suffered a bereavement before Christmas — the Scottish club agreed to terminate his contract on Tuesday.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be back,” said Forrester of his return to Pat’s and Dublin.

With everything that was going on in my life, I was always going to be coming back to Pat’s. It’s a club that’s very close to my heart. We had a good few years when I was there. Hopefully we can do that again this season.

“I’m excited to go back and see some of the lads. We brought a lot of history to the club. I’m looking forward to going back and working under Harry [Byrne]. He was there as a coach when I was there — I’m not sure what the year was, now, but I really enjoyed that.

“It’s one of the main factors in me coming back, as well. I know what Harry’s about, what he wants to do with his teams, from speaking with him. It looks like it’s a really good team.

With me coming home, it gives me a fresh start; I’m around my family, I’m around my little girl, my friends — everything. I’m back at a club that I think generally likes me. As a footballer, you just want to be loved, and I think if I can do the business, that’s what it’ll be like for me.

Former Scottish U21 McCabe, now also 26, began his career at Rangers before heading south for a three-year spell with Sheffield Wednesday (he also spent part of 2014 on loan at Portsmouth).

He joined Sligo from Dunfermline in 2017, and scored six goals in 45 appearances for the Bit O’ Red.

McCabe enjoyed a solid second campaign out west last season, one of the highlights of which was a stunning 60-yard strike in Sligo’s 2-1 win over Limerick last April which ended a run of three straight defeats.

The Scot has signed on with Harry Kenny’s men for the 2019 season.

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Gavan Casey
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