Ballymena United boss David Jeffrey has made his sixth transfer window swoop of the summer with the signing of Portadown midfielder George Tipton.
Tipton, who made his Ports debut at the age of 15 in 2018, joins Davy McDaid, Jordan Gibson, Sean O’Neill, Evan Tweed and Jake Corbett as new arrivals at the Showgrounds.
The 19-year-old playmaker is the son of former Ports boss Matthew Tipton who scored 28 goals in 69 appearances for Ballymena between 2014 and 2016.
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Despite still being a teenager, Tipton made almost 100 appearances for Portadown and featured in 30 games for the Mid Ulster club last season.
And his arrival further bolsters Jeffrey’s midfield options following the recent departure of Leroy Millar to Larne and the conclusion of Brendan Barr’s loan period with the club.
Jeffrey said: “George has a significant number of senior games under his belt for a young man, he has great potential and saw this as an opportunity to advance his career.
“He has been someone that I have known since he was a young boy obviously through his father Matthew and I have watched his career develop with particular interest.
“When we learnt of his current situation we were very keen to see if it was possible to bring him here and as it turned out we are delighted to be able to sign him.”
Tipton’s signing is the latest move of a busy summer window for the Sky Blues who have seen six new arrivals and seven departures since the end of last season.
Experienced striker Davy McDaid was a high profile arrival from Larne, while goalkeeper Sean O'Neill signed a long term deal after parting company with Crusaders.
Versatile forward Jordan Gibson and midfielders Evan Tweed and Jake Corbett were also snapped up from Carrick Rangers, Coleraine and Linfield respectively.
Departures included Millar, Barr, who has since joined Dungannon Swifts on loan, Chrissy Rodgers, Lee Chapman, Jonte Smith, Dan Bramall and Mal Smith who returned to parent club Glentoran after a short loan period at the end of last season.
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