Caddell 'looking to build something new' at Crues

Declan Caddell won three Irish Premiership titles as a player with Crusaders

Declan Caddell has said he has "put his own stamp" on a much-changed Crusaders side for the new Irish Premiership campaign.

Caddell led the north Belfast side to a sixth-place finish in his first season in charge after taking over from long-serving manager Stephen Baxter.

The Crues have signed a number of young players from Scotland summer window so far but have lost the likes of Philip Lowry, Daniel Larmour and Billy Joe Burns.

"Everything has been going well. Obviously, there is a big turnover of players, we were all aware there was going to be a rebuild at the club," Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

"We are really happy with the players we have brought in. We have a lot of youth about us, lots of energy, enthusiasm, and a lot of quality as well. They're all gelling and settling in well which is a positive for me.

"This is my second year now and it's always difficult coming into a club. Stephen did such a great job but, ultimately, a lot of them were Stephen's players and obviously times change, and I am looking to build something new and put my own stamp on things."

Caddell paid tribute to the long-serving players like Lowry and Burns for their contributions to the club but says he is excited to move forward with a younger squad.

"It's my responsibility to look after the benefit of the club and where it goes moving forward and big decisions had to be made," Caddell continued.

"We're sorry to lose all those players as they were a big fabric of all the success that the club had, but we had to move on. We now have these younger players coming in and they want to make a name for themselves, and that's something for us all to look forward to."