Young forward James Teelan linked up at Crusaders after a fruitful spell with Newry City
Radio silence tells James Teelan he is coming up against old friends at Seaview on Saturday as Crusaders play host to Newry City in the Sports Direct Premiership.
The 21-year-old forward from Crossmaglen left Newry in the summer of 2023 to join Crusaders in order to further his career, signing a two-year deal.
Both clubs want to get back to winning ways on Saturday after losing the previous weekend, Newry to Glenavon and Crusaders to Cliftonville in the north Belfast derby.
After beginning life with Dungannon Swifts, Teelan spent two happy years at the Newry Showgrounds and still has many good friends at the club.
But that friendship has been set aside with three vital points at stake in Belfast on Saturday.
Crusaders' James Teelan in action during the side's 2-0 defeat to Coleraine at Seaview
“I haven’t spoken to any of the boys from Newry this week, they’ve all dropped me,” smiled Teelan.
“I loved my time at Newry, it was a brilliant experience and I still have a lot of friends at the club.
“But I wanted to challenge myself with a trophy-winning team, so I spoke to Stephen Baxter and everything he said made it feel like the right fit.
“I thought about it for a while but I didn’t have any doubts about myself, I have confidence in my ability.
“I thought I could make an impact at the club, but I knew I might have to bide my time, and that challenge remains. I’m trying to fight my way into the team.
“We got the season off to a flyer, in Europe and in the League, but recent results have been mixed and we want to get a win today, particularly after losing to Cliftonville last week.
“Newry will want to win today as well – they won’t like
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