Stockport County Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of striker Paddy Madden from Fleetwood Town, with the forward signing a three year deal at Edgeley Park.
Madden, 31, has had a prolific scoring record throughout his career in the Football League, with over 100 goals to his name whilst playing in League One.
Having started his career in Ireland with Bohemians, Paddy first made the move to English football in January 2011, signing for League One Carlisle United on a two-and-a-half year deal.
After struggling to break into the Cumbrians first team, he made the loan move to fellow League One Club Yeovil in October 2012 and had an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut in a 3-1 win against Colchester United. After an impressive run of nine goals in 16 games for the Somerset Club, the deal was made permanent, signing for an undisclosed fee in January 2013.
From then on the Irishman went from strength to strength, with his 23 league goals helping to fire Yeovil into the play-off places, and earn him the League One Golden Boot in the process. He then capped a magnificent season by scoring the winner in the Play-Off final against Brentford, to secure promotion to the Championship for the Glovers for the first time in their history.
His form whilst at Huish Park was enough to see him earn a cap for the Republic of Ireland national team, coming on as a sub in an international friendly against Wales in August 2013.
With Yeovil struggling to adapt to life in the second tier, Madden made the decision to move on, signing for League Two Scunthorpe United for a fee of around £300,000 in January 2014. Again, Madden’s arrival had an immediate impact, with his five goals that season helping the Irons to finish second and secure promotion back to League One.
Back in the third tier, Paddy found his best scoring form again, scoring 16 goals in his first full season at Glanford Park before following that up with another 23 the season after, finishing as the Club’s top scorer in both campaigns.
After scoring 11 goals in his final full season at Scunthorpe, he eventually left the Club to join Fleetwood in January 2018, with his 60 goals whilst at Glandford Park enough to leave him 10th in Scunthorpe’s all-time scorers list.
Wherever Madden has gone, the goals have followed, and the last four years spent at Fleetwood in League One have been no different. After scoring six goals in the remainder of the 2017-18 season, he has scored 19 goals in each of the last two seasons.
He has continued to play a crucial role so far this season at Highbury Stadium, chipping in with seven league goals to help keep the Cod Army clear of the relegation battle, and leaves Fleetwood as their all-time leading scorer in the EFL with 43 league goals, and just ten goals shy of the all-time League One scoring record.
Paddy will immediately join the team for first-team training, and is available for tomorrow’s National League fixture against Barnet.
Manager Simon Rusk said:
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Paddy and I am delighted that he has accepted the challenge of helping this team and club grow.
“While his experience, and track record speaks for itself, I am drawn to his attitude and hunger for the game. When he walks into our dressing room, he will find similar spirits. We have a strong, together and like-minded group, and this is what makes Paddy a fantastic addition for us.”
Director of Football Simon Wilson said:
“This signing has been a targeted group effort by several of the fantastic team here at County, with many thing having to fall into place to get this deal over the line.
“It is testament to the excitement that surrounds the club that a player coveted by many clubs of higher levels sees his immediate future with us. We don’t make this signing without the fanbase we have, the infrastructure we have and the vision we have here at the Football Club. Together it is incredibly powerful and shows how special it is to be here right now.”
