Rochdale have completed the signing of defender Finlay Armstrong on loan from League One side Fleetwood Town, as confirmed via a statement on the club’s website.
The 20-year-old has become the second Fleetwood player to complete a move to Rochdale this season, following the impressive start made by Cian Hayes before he was recalled last month.
The left-back began his career with Premier League side Burnley as well as experiencing a handful of Non-League loan moves. However, he was released by Vincent Kompany’s side following the expiry of his contract and was subsequently snapped up by Fleetwood Town during the summer.
Armstrong has made three appearances in all competitions so far this season, with one of those arriving during league competition. He featured during the club’s 3-0 defeat against play-off contenders Oxford United in mid-September.
In the Non-League scene, the full-back had his best spell with National League North Side Curzon Ashton, making 19 appearances but has now made the move into the National League until the end of January where the move is then likely to be assessed further.
Heading into Saturday’s clash against FC Halifax Town, Rochdale sat just outside of the play-off places and will be keen to continue their March back into the top seven, despite a tricky period for Jimmy McNulty’s side in which they’ve suffered a player recall and two key members of their team have also been ruled out with injuries.
Upon signing for the club, the defender stated…
“I’m delighted to be here, I’m looking forward to hopefully playing my part and getting the club back up where it belongs.
Writer’s View
Rochdale are in desperate need of reinforcements after suffering injuries and departures and this is another strong addition from Jimmy McNulty’s side.
The defender has plenty of experience in the sixth tier and has deserved to break into the National League, but it will be intriguing to see how he can adapt.