KEVIN O’CONNOR HAS extended his stay at Cork City until the end of the season, the club have confirmed.

The 24-year-old full-back, who can also play in midfield, has featured regularly for the Leesiders in the 2019 campaign, having initially joined in February.

On loan from Preston, O’Connor is in his second spell at the club, having initially represented them between 2015 and 2017.

The Enniscorthy native moved to Preston in June 2017 on the back of some impressive displays on a three-year deal, but has struggled to establish himself in the club’s first team, so far making just eight Championship appearances.

He has spent time on loan at both Fleetwood Town and Crewe Alexandra, before returning to Cork earlier this year.

“It was a decision I came to, having thought long and hard about it over the break,” he told Cork’s official website. “I am happy here, playing games and, since John Cotter has come in, I think our performances have upped; it is just a matter of getting more confidence back and more wins.

“I think lads have had a good break and some time for themselves, and they are coming back in now with new belief and we are ready to work hard going into a busy spell of games that we have ahead of us. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start on Friday and that will kick-start the season. I think we are in a false position and hopefully we can rectify that in the second half of the season.

“Europe is always an attraction, getting to play in big games. I think we have got a good draw [they will face the winners Luxembourg's Progrès Niederkorn and Cardiff Metropolitan University] and, hopefully, we can turn it into an even better draw. Everyone has seen who awaits us in the second round [Rangers] if everything goes according to plan, but we can’t look past the first round.”

Interim first-team manager John Cotter added: “Kevin has been a brilliant player for us, before he went to Preston and since he has come back. I would like to thank Preston for their assistance in getting this deal done, and we look forward to welcoming them to Turner’s Cross for our upcoming Cork Airport friendly on July 8th.

In the last six or seven weeks, Kevin has been doing very well; his fitness levels and performance levels have improved even more. You know what you get with Kev; he’s a great lad to have around the place and we were delighted to get the deal done.

“For a relatively young player, he is very experienced and has played in a lot of big games, so his experience will be vital in the big games we have ahead of us. Sometimes, when players come back, it takes them a while to get going, but I think everyone knows what a good player he is, and he has gone from strength to strength over the last number of games. He is a big influence in the dressing room as well, and we all know the attributes he brings on the pitch, so we are delighted to keep him for the rest of the season.”

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