Stalybridge Celtic are excited to confirm the signing of experienced defender Joe Bunney.

The 29-year-old joins the club having ended last season at Marine, where he made 13 appearances and scored the winning penalty as they won the Liverpool Senior Cup.

Joe made over 120 appearances for Rochdale between 2013-2018 and has a huge amount of experience having also featured for Northampton Town, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers and Macclesfield amongst others.

Manager James Kinsey was thrilled to have sealed Joe’s signing, he said: “Joe’s background speaks for itself. I’ve known about him as a player for a long time and watched him last season.

“His leadership on the pitch is second to none. He will be coming to us as a centre half who has a number of attributes to be effective in that role but has the potential to play in numerous positions and will really boost the quality of our group.

“He’s a great lad who is keen to build a relationship with the fans too. He will miss the first week of the season as he is travelling to Australia to watch his partner Ella Toone play for England in the Women’s World Cup, but he is keen to get a very good pre-season under his belt before rejoining the group. We’re lucky to have him here!”

Born in Manchester, Joe started his career at Lancaster City before signing for Rochdale in 2013. He made his debut coming off the bench in a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle, where he scored the winning goal.

Five years and 122 appearances at Rochdale followed before a permanent move to Northampton. Loan spells at Blackpool and a return to Rochdale followed before a move to Bolton Wanderers in 2019.

Joe also has experience from playing at Hartlepool United, Grimsby Town, Altrincham, Warrington Rylands and Macclesfield where he joined last summer. He made 17 appearances for The Silkmen before loan spells at Ashton United and most recently Marine.

Welcome to Celtic, Joe!