New Leyton Orient striker Conor Wilkinson says he is “over the moon” to have completed his move to the club.
Wilkinson, who has represented the Republic of Ireland at three different youth levels, joins from National League side Dagenham & Redbridge on an undisclosed fee.
The signing came within two hours of Orient’s confirmation that Macauley Bonne had completed a move to Championship side Charlton Athletic after they activated his release clause.
Wilkinson, though, brings his own set of qualities with him and expressed his excitement at signing for the club.
In an interview on the club’s Twitter account, he said: “I’m over the moon. I heard the interest a couple of days ago, I wanted to get it done straight away and I’m delighted to be here today.
“I played against Leyton Orient last year, twice. They were both good games. I enjoyed coming here and playing. The fans were on the edge of their seats getting behind the boys and that felt really welcoming for me.
“You want to come to places where the fans back you, you want to go and play and you want to go and express yourself. When the fans are on your side a lot can happen.
“I back myself to go into a team and play. Without being big-headed, I think I can go in and make the difference. It’ll be nice to go in on the front foot straight away and score some goals.”
After starting his youth career at Millwall, Wilkinson made his senior debut at Bolton Wanderers before securing loans in the National League and Football League before joining Dagenham after a two-year stint at Gillingham.
The 2018/19 was his first full season of regular football, where he scored 12 goals in 23 appearances, and that goal-scoring form is something he hopes he can continue.
He said: “That was my first full season really in football. I joined Dagenham in the January window and it was my first full season to try and play and express myself. I did that, my manager believed in me, I went and scored some goals and now I’m here today to try and do the same thing again.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here