Falkirk lock up tall Irish midfielder Gardner on three-year deal

[Getty Images] Falkirk have signed midfielder Joe Gardner from Nottingham Forest on a three‑year contract for an undisclosed fee. The fee was not disclosed by either club.

The 21‑year‑old Irishman has accumulated 29 senior appearances, with a single outing for Forest and the remainder earned during loan spells at Lincoln City and Mansfield. He found the net once for each of those loan clubs.

Bairns manager John McGlynn told club media: "He's a player we've been after for some time since we first looked at him a couple of years ago but we were never really in a position to get him here." He added: "He had loan spells last season at Lincoln and Mansfield, which is a very good level."

"He's 21, he's an attacking midfield player and he's about 6ft 1in or 6ft 2in, so he's a tall boy," McGlynn said. "Technically, he's very good and he works extremely hard, which will fit in nicely with the way we play," he continued.

"We feel he's going to play a huge part for us," the manager stated. "We're very excited about the signing," he added.

"At the same time, I think we can be good for Joe. I'm sure that if he does well here, he'll get recognised and potentially have the opportunity to go back down to England and play at a really good level," McGlynn explained.

The signing gives Falkirk a tall, technically adept attacking midfielder to broaden their creative options, while providing Gardner with regular first‑team football to showcase his abilities and attract future interest.