By Scunthorpe United confirm double signing from Eastleigh
Scunthorpe United have announced the signings of defender Michael Kelly and striker Danny Whitehall from National League side Eastleigh.
The Iron, who are looking to build a squad capable of bouncing straight back up to the National League, have moved quickly to secure both players’ signatures on two-year deals.
Since joining Eastleigh two years ago from Bristol Rovers, Kelly made 59 appearances and scored one goal for the Hampshire club.
The 25-year-old left-back said he was “delighted” to get the deal done and that he was interested as soon as he knew the club wanted to sign him.
“I’ve spoken to the manager about the plans for next season and it ticked all the boxes for me,” he added. “It’s going to be a rebuild and we want to do really well, try to win the league and come straight back up.
“If we can get off to a good start and do really well, we can get very good numbers supporting us and that’s what we want. It’s up to us to get this club back up to where it should be and, hopefully, this coming season can be the springboard to that.”
The Scottish defender is joined at United by his Eastleigh teammate Whitehall, whose signing has already raised eyebrows across the National League setup and is a real statement of intent.
The 27-year-old scored 12 league goals last season – including the winning strike when the sides met at Glanford Park – to help the south coast side secure a top-half finish.
During his two seasons at Eastleigh, he bagged 23 goals in 78 appearances and brings a wealth of experience of playing for sides across the non-league pyramid. The 6’3” striker has scored double-figures in all three of his campaigns at National League level, where he’s also represented Maidenhead United.
After joining the Iron, he said it’s a “massive club” and a big incentive for him signing was to help secure promotion back up from a “division that it shouldn’t be in”.
“I’m a striker who scores goals, which is the most important thing,” he added. “I wouldn’t say I’m a number nine or a number 10, I’m probably somewhere in between.
“It’s always nice to score the long-range and extravagant goals, but it’s just as important to score the tap-ins as well. As a striker, I’ll take a goal any which way it comes.”
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