David Artell has praised the contribution made by defender Eddie Nolan over the past two seasons and the Alex boss says that he expects the same levels of consistency from the former Republic of Ireland International.

After moving from Blackpool in the summer of 2017, Nolan went on to be an unsung hero of the club and was rightly named as our Player of the Year in his debut season.

The Irishman made 36 appearances last term and was prepared to play through the pain barrier on occasions after aggravating his calf in one of our early encounters against Macclesfield Town.

Artell told the club’s official website: “Eddie came in after a difficult couple of seasons at Blackpool but we knew he was a god player. He had come through at Blackburn and played for Preston and his country, and that is no mean feat.

“He wasn’t involved a great deal at Blackpool and came to us at a low ebb. He went under the radar a bit because of that but we knew he was a reliable player. It took him a bit to get going but once he did he has been terrific for us. He is dependable, a real steady Eddie and he has shown real consistency over the last two seasons and I am sure he will show the same again this season.”