Former Cork City and Coleraine winger Stephen Dooley joins Rochdale

Former Cork City and Coleraine winger Stephen Dooley has signed for English League One side Rochdale.

The 26-year-old has signed a two-year deal at the Crown Oil Arena after signing off his third spell at Coleraine with an Irish Cup win earlier this month.

He will link up with former his former Cork City teammate in the form of defender Ryan Delaney at the Dale, subject to international clearance.

The Limavady native expressed his delight at getting a move to England for the first time in his career.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play over in the English system, and Rochdale looks like a brilliant club, so I’m delighted to finally get the deal done,” he told the club's website.

“I want to be one of those players that can excite the fans and get people off their seat. All I can really promise is work rate and that I’ll give it my all, and hopefully it’s enough to do well.”

Dooley began his career at Coleraine and spent several years on a soccer scholarship in the United States before returning to Ireland in 2014.

He moved to Derry City in June 2014 and went on to make 14 league appearances for the Candystripes, scoring once, and played in the 2FAI Cup Final, which Derry lost 2-0 to St Patrick's Athletic.

Dooley stayed at the club for the 2015 season and added a further 15 league appearances to his career total, scoring twice, as Derry finished seventh in the Premier Division.

He moved to Cork City where he had the best success of his career, winning the FAI Cup in 2016 and a league and cup double in 2017.

Dooley featured in all six Europa League ties including against Linfield where he impressed during a 1-0 away win before drawing 1-1 a week later in the second leg.