Glentoran FC is delighted to announce that our captain, Marcus Kane today signed an extension to his current contract. That means Marcus is now committed to Glentoran until the end of the 2019/20 season.
Marcus said this afternoon: “I’m really delighted to have sorted my future out and it’s great to know that I’ll be staying at the Oval for what should be my best years. I’d like to thank Gary and the Chairman for showing how keen they and the club were to get me signed up. That made my decision very easy. I’m really happy with what Gary is working to achieve here and as captain I’m keen to help the new lads to bond as a team and to hold on to the captaincy for as long as I can. It’s a very hard working and dedicated squad. We flew out of the traps at the start of the season in a way most people didn’t expect but the manner of the loss to Crusaders was a hit to the confidence of some of the team as the average age of the new boys is about 21. We’ll work through that and as captain and one of the more experienced players here I’ll do all I can to make sure we get back to playing the way we can. On a personal level it’s also great for my family that my future has been sorted and I know my fiancée Aimee and my daughter Molly are delighted I’ve committed myself to the Glens, especially since Aimee and I are getting married in two years.”
Manager Gary Haveron said: “It’s great to have our captain commit himself to the club. Moko has had a lot of interest from other clubs over the past couple of years, but he always made it clear his preference was to stay with Glentoran. So it was important that we sorted this early to avoid speculation in the last few months of his existing contract. Moko was also very keen to get contract discussions started and finished. The fact that we got this sorted in a week demonstrates both Moko’s commitment and that of the club. Moko isn’t a shouter but he always leads by example and has done since I came here. That’s why he was an easy lad to appoint as captain this summer. He never shirks a challenge, works hard from start to finish and is also great on the ball. As he settles in his midfield role I think he’ll also carry a good goal threat for us. When we go to sign players they always want to know if we’ve got players like Marcus, Curtis and Elliott tied up long term because they want to be joining a club with top players.”
Marcus, who is 25, joined Glentoran from Linfield in July 2012. Since then he has made 180 appearances (more than any other current outfield player), scoring 20 goals. He played in our Irish Cup Final wins in both 2013 and 2015.