Cross Border Traffic

Former Shamrock Rovers and St. Patrick's Athletic defender Ken Oman has become the latest stalwart to leave the League of Ireland for the Dankse Bank Premiership after completing his move to Portadown FC.

The 32 year old, who has reportedly signed an 18 month contract with the Ports, joins a number of other seasoned campaigners to have moved across the border in recent months, including Declan O'Brien (Drogheda United to Glenavon) and two members of Stephen Kenny's title winning Dundalk side, Peter Cherrie and Ruaidhrí Higgins (Cliftonville and Coleraine respectively).

Between them, this quartet can boast: six Premier Division titles; six FAI Cups; 11 League Cups; six Setanta Sports Cups; three Leinster Senior Cups; one First Division title; and one President's Cup. And in Oman and Higgins, gone are two players who have spent their entire careers to date in the League of Ireland.

A common factor among these moves are the contract lengths reportedly given to high profile players in the Northern Irish Football League. While the length of Cherrie's deal hasn't been specified, Oman and O'Brien have received 18 months deals from their new clubs. Higgins is reported to have signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Coleraine. Even David Elebert, released by Derry City in July before the end of the 2014 season, was offered an 18 month deal to link up with O'Brien at Glenavon in January.

It is a far cry from what most League of Ireland clubs can offer their players in terms of security. While Cork City are reported to have tied down some of their bigger names to two year deals and Dundalk were said to be prepared to offer two year contracts to their best players now that Champions League football arrived at Oriel Park, on the whole clubs here cannot afford to look beyond each season as balancing the books is the priority.

This combined with the length of the four month off-season – a considerable period of time for many footballers who need to find other forms of income to keep their heads above water – leaves LOI players open to overtures from NIFL clubs who are in the middle of their campaigns and willing to provide lengthier deals to coax out of contract players to cross the border.

In total, 11 players have switched allegiances to the NIFL since the end of the 2014 campaign. One is just a temporary switch (Conor McDonald signed for Warrenpoint FC on loan from Dundalk), another has moved to a club playing in the division below Northern Ireland's top flight (Aaron Shanahan moved from Bohemians to Ards FC), while another was released by his LOI club before the end of the 2014 season (David Elebert).

In contrast, only four have come in the opposite direction: Tiarnan Mulvenna and Matthew Rooney both signed for Drogheda from Glenavon and Portadown respectively, while Tony McNamee re-signed for Finn Harps from Glenavon and Adrian Friel joined Athlone Town from intermediate league side Strabane Athletic.

With the big kick-off to the 2015 League of Ireland season now exactly one month away, it remains to be seen whether any more of the league's biggest names can be lured up north by the promise of longer contracts and the sense of greater security associated with them.

LOI players switched to NIFL since the end of the 2014 season

Aaron Shanahan       Bohemian FC to Ards FC

Declan O'Brien          Drogheda United to Glenavon

Simon Kelly                Dundalk to Glenavon

David Elebert             Free agent to Glenavon

Peter Cherrie             Dundalk to Cliftonville

Conor McDonald       Dundalk to Warrenpoint Town (loan)

Ruaidhrí Higgins       Dundalk to Coleraine

Robert Bayly             Shamrock Rovers to Cliftonville

Ken Oman                  St. Patrick's Ath. to Portadown

Sean McCarron        Finn Harps to Cliftonville

Caomhin Bonner      Finn Harps to Cliftonville

Barry Molloy              Derry City to Crusaders

NIFL players switched to LOI since end of the 2014 season

Tiarnan Mulvenna      Cliftonville to Drogheda United

Matthew Rooney        Portadown to Drogheda United

Tony McNamee          Glenavon to Finn Harps

Adrian Friel                  Strabane Athletic to Athlone Town