Warrington Town have swooped to sign their first ex-Premier League footballer, Irish international Gareth Farrelly who starred for Aston Villa, Everton and Bolton.

Midfielder Farrelly, who has been capped by the Republic of Ireland six times, will bring a huge amount of footballing experience to Warrington and still aged 34, has plenty left to offer on the pitch, says Town manager Joey Dunn.

"Gareth will be our midfield general and it is a statement of our intent at moving Warrington Town forward as a club," said Dunn, who was delighted to welcome Farrelly to Cantilever Park.

He has spent the past month training with the club and is set to make his home debut on Saturday March 6 against Radcliffe Borough.

Farrelly spent five years at Aston Villa who signed him as a 16-year-old in 1992, and he made his Villa debut in September 1995.

He moved to Everton in July 1997 for approximately £700,000, scoring the goal that preserved their Premier League status on the final day of the 1997–98 season.

After two seasons with the blues he moved to Bolton, initially on loan. He won promotion back to the Premier League with Bolton in 2001, scoring the opening goal for them in the Play Off Final. He was subsequently loaned out to Rotherham, Burnley, Bradford City, and latterly Wigan. He made his full international début for Ireland as a 21-year-old, and has six caps.

More recently he has played in the Irish Premier League with Cork City.

Dunn added: "His wealth of experience will be a great asset to the club. His experience on the pitch will improve our quality and help us move the club in the right direction."

Meanwhile Dunn has also signed Warrington based former England Schoolboy Tom Rutter, aged 21, a right winger from Radcliffe Borough and has set his sights on still further strengthening the squad as Town push for a play-off place.