Martin Cranie and Luke Steele have both signed new contracts with Barnsley FC, pledging their next two years to the club.
26-year-old defender Cranie put pen to paper on a two year deal yesterday. He joined the Reds from Coventry City last summer and has played 36 games , missing out due to a hamstring injury last term.
There had been interest in Cranie, but he told the Reds official website of his delight at signing on for two years:
“I am absolutely delighted to sign a new contract at Barnsley. There was never any doubt that I would be coming back. “The end to last season will be in everyones minds for a long time. I don’t think you will see anything like that again. I’ve watched it back a few times and I still can’t believe it happened. “It’s going to be a brilliant season again. It gets harder every year, there are strong Premier League teams coming down, but as you seen last year Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton all struggled in parts and of course Wolves went down again. It won’t be an easy ride for the clubs that have been relegated this time either. “I’ve still got it in my mind playing the top teams in the league last season and winning and it shows we have got nothing to fear this season from any side." And in other contract news, long serving goalkeeper Luke Steele today signed a new two year deal with the club, after supposedly only being offered a one year extension. There has been constant speculation about Steele's future at the club, with the player reportedly unhappy about the length of contract, but the 28-year-old has today signed a two-year contract. No-one could ever forget Steele's introduction as a Barnsley player, a magical performance at Anfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup in 2008, keeping Liverpool at bay as the Reds progressed, winning 2-1. He had initially joined on loan from West Brom, but joined the Reds permanently that summer, and has gone on to make 177 appearances for Barnsley. He also spoke to www.barnsleyfc.co.uk after signing his new contract: “These things take time to get sorted, but now it’s done I am over the moon and I’m very happy to have a new two year deal. I’m excited about this project and I like the whole plan that the club has to move forward. It’s the most exciting contract I’ve signed in my time at the Club. “Seeing the signings of all the players that did so well last season was important to me. It gives real stability. Often at the end of a season I have been used to a lot of players going out and new ones coming in, but this year it hasn’t been the case. I think it’s very important to get that level of consistency which we have now. It feels like we can carry on where we left off from last season. “I didn’t ever see myself leaving although other clubs were interested. There is only one club that I support and that is Barnsley. “Everything feels so positive at the club just at the moment which is great. “The last day of the season against Huddersfield was my best day in a Barnsley shirt. It was a special moment and the biggest challenge of my career. It was certainly emotional, but seeing the fans connect together and the players was a special special time. “The players here know how to win games, we got ourselves on a good roll in the second half of last season and it’s great we have those same players coming back. I’m sure when we all start talking about those special times it will have a very positive effect on us as we go into the new season.”Source: TykesMAD
Source: FOOTYMAD
