Drogheda United are delighted to announce the signing of defender Ben Curtis from St. Patrick’s Athletic.

Ben previously played for Shamrock Rovers, joining at U15 level in 2019. He progressed to Rovers U17 team in 2020 and made his senior debut, as a substitute for Shamrock Rovers II in a First Division game against UCD.

The teenager, from Navan, began the 2021 season with Shamrock Rovers before making the switch to St. Patrick’s Athletic midway through the season.

Curtis featured for the Saints U19 side through the remainder of the 2021 season and played in both legs of their UEFA Youth League tie against Red Star Belgrade.

An Irish underage international, Ben signed a professional contract with St. Patrick’s Athletic ahead of the 2022 season and would be part of the Saints first team matchday squad throughout the season. 

The 2022 season saw the 18-year-old feature for St. Pat’s U19 side that won the U19 league title and finished as runners-up in the U19 Enda McGuill Cup. 

Curtis is the fourth new addition to Kevin Doherty’s squad for 2023, joining Sean Brennan, Aaron McNally, and Michael Leddy (loan from Shamrock Rovers).

“I had a nice chat with Kev on the phone. Everything he said was positive, and I think we can go on to do good things now this season. I’m really looking forward to getting going.

“The group is full of top quality players. It’s a great platform for me to go on and show what I can do. This club has got some great results over the last few years against the top teams in the league so I’m really looking forward now for pre-season to get started,” Curtis said.