It may be over a decade since Jim Magilton managed in Australia but the contacts he made during his brief spell in charge of Melbourne Victory helped him land Cliftonville's latest recruit.

Alex Parsons is swapping the sunshine of Brisbane for the Irish League after signing for the Reds before the January transfer window closed.

Magilton is excited by the forward, who can play across the front three positions, but joked he may need to time to adjust to the climate in Belfast.

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"I joked with him we'll swap and I'll go there to the warm weather," smiled the Cliftonville boss when asked how the move came about for his latest recruit.

"I've always kept great contacts in Australia. There's some very good young players coming through the ranks there and they're all looking for an opportunity.

"When the opportunity came up to sign him we had negotiations with his agent and Alex and he's very excited about the prospect of coming over.

"The one thing you want when you speak to a player is that you get a vibe off them that fills you with encouragement. "He's done all that now it's about getting him playing.

"He was travelling overnight on Tuesday so we'll get him in on Thursday and we'll get a look at him with a view to Sunday's game against Portadown.

"He's technically a really good footballer and can play in any of the three positions up front. He's got a lovely left foot and a real eye for goal."

Parsons was Cliftonville's third signing of the window joining Eric McWoods and Jack Keaney at Solitude.

Both featured in Tuesday night's goalless draw at Coleraine and Magilton was pleased with their efforts.

"Eric looked lively and he gave us a bit more energy," he said. "If he produced a better first touch he was through.

"He's going to give us all that and he is going to be an exciting signing for us. He's only been in a week so he'll get used to the players around him and we'll get used to him too.

"I thought Jack was outstanding on the night and has been since he's come in. He's been a great signing for us and the more he plays with these lads the more he'll get used to it."

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