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Former Town captain Conroy signs for League Two rivals

Former Swindon captain Conroy signs for League Two rivals
Former Swindon captain Conroy signs for League Two rivals

FORMER Swindon Town captain Dion Conroy has signed for the club’s League Two rivals Crawley Town on a two-year deal.

The 26-year-old led Swindon into the League Two play-offs last season and made over 40 appearances for the first time since joining the club in 2016.

Conroy overcame a spell of poor form midway through the season to build a vital partnership with Mathieu Baudry in the heart of defence and help Ben Garner’s men claim five wins from the final six games.

But after a six-season spell at the County Ground – in which Conroy won League Two and played 123 times – the centre-back was allowed to leave and pursue other opportunities by Swindon.

Speaking to Crawley’s media team, the Redhill-born defender described his excitement at joining his new club.

Conroy said: “I am super happy to get the deal over the line. This has been brewing for the last couple of weeks, so it feels great to finally get it done.

“I can’t wait to meet the lads tomorrow and get started with training. The manager is super ambitious with all of the changes going on, and it feels like a great place to be. I think the club is only heading in one direction.”

A product of Fulham and Chelsea’s respective academy systems, Conroy made over 100 appearances for the Blues across different age categories.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, the defender featured in UEFA Youth League campaigns and won the Under-21 Premier League in 2013-14.

Conroy spent the first half of the 2016-17 season on loan at Aldershot before seeing his loan cut short in order to join Swindon for an undisclosed fee.

Known for his superb range of passing and composure on the ball, a pair of knee injuries sustained while at Swindon potentially blunted what could have been a promising career for Conroy.

After his particularly tough time with injuries under then-Swindon boss John Sheridan in the 2020-21 season, Conroy returned to score an injury-time winner against Oldham Athletic at the County Ground and ultimately begin the Latics’ slide out of the English Football League under Sheridan.

Conroy will come up against his old team for the first time on Saturday, December 3 when Swindon travel to Broadfield Stadium. The reverse leg at the County Ground is on the final day of the season – Saturday, May 6.