Newcastle United have done a 'good bit of business' to sign 'sought-after' goalkeeper Reece Byrne from Bohemians.
That is the view of Ireland under-21 boss Jim Crawford, who is well-placed to comment on the academy's first signing of the summer. Not only has Crawford followed Byrne's progress for some time now - the former midfielder made the same journey from Dublin to Newcastle back in 1995.
While only a handful of Irish youngsters since Crawford have gone on to represent Newcastle's first team, the Magpies are taking note of burgeoning talent across the water at a time when the Boys in Green's underage sides are pulling off some impressive results. In fact, Byrne is just the latest Ireland under-19 international to join the club following Alex Murphy's arrival from Galway United last summer - and that is not a coincidence.
