NEW Accrington Stanley signing Liam Nolan is delighted to be returning to full-time football after penning a one-year deal with the Reds.

The midfielder has joined John Coleman's men from Southport for an undisclosed fee with his contract also containing a one-year option for Stanley to keep him on.

And the 22-year-old former Crewe man is pleased to have made the move to the Wham Stadium, five months after initial interest from the Reds.

“Accrington were interested in January but it never quite happened but thankfully it has now,” said Nolan.

"The aim has always been to get back into the Football League and I am made up to do it. I have been monitoring Accrington closely since their interest in January and they were in the bottom half of the table.

“They have been on an unbelievable run and hopefully we can take this into next season.”

Nolan was released by Crewe in 2015 but made 29 appearances for the Railwaymen.

He moved to Southport and has featured nearly 100 times for the Sandgrounders, who were relegated from the National League this season.

Nolan added: "I was at Crewe for four years, two years in their academy and two years as a pro.

“I was released and have been at Southport for two seasons. They are a part-time club, training three days a week, and it was tough up against clubs who are full-time as we were relegated this season. It’s not nice to be relegated but I learnt a lot from it.”

As part of the Nolan deal, Stanley will travel to Southport for a pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 29.

Meanwhile, Nolan's former Northern Ireland Under-21 teammate Shay McCartan has earned a national call up.

The frontman, who enjoyed a superb second half of the season with Stanley, will join the Northern Ireland senior squad for a training camp in Manchester from May 22-25.

And the 22-year-old former Burnley man is hoping to impress Michael O'Neill enough to earn a call up to the squad for the home friendly with New Zealand on June 2 and the World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan eight days later.

He said: “I got a phone call from my agent telling me to expect a text and it’s one of the best texts I have had, it’s the best feeling ever.

“I have come through from Under 16s through to seniors but this is massive. It’s a training camp where I will be among Premier League and Championship players and, even though I am in League Two, it’s superb that I have been noticed.

“It will mean I miss holidays but it’s worth it as to get a full international call-up is a huge achievement.

“The standard will be really high, it will be a lot faster but I have got to try and make an impression."