Dungannon Swifts are one of only three Irish Premiership clubs with no Scottish players in their current squad. This places them outside a major recruitment trend that is reshaping the league and boosting rivals' finances.

Crusaders have seven Scottish players, the most in the division, while Ballymena United and Limavady United join Dungannon as the only clubs without one. A total of 29 Scottish players are now registered across the 12 top-flight clubs, with 13 arriving in the most recent summer window alone. Crusaders boss Declan Caddell remarked that it seems that every player coming in now is Scottish.

Crusaders' profitable model

Crusaders began a concerted Scottish recruitment drive in 2024, targeting players on free transfers, developing them, and selling for profit. Kieran Offord, Musa Dibaga, Fraser Bryden, and Adam Brooks all arrived, impressed, and were sold on for significant fees, with Brooks moving to Coleraine for a six-figure sum plus add-ons. Their current Scottish contingent includes Jacob Blaney, Scot Rough, and recent signings Owen Wardell and Aaron Reid. Caddell has stated the 20-year-old winger Wardell, who has scored twice in five appearances since arriving from Lithuania, will be the next to go.

Caddell argues the local player market in Northern Ireland is massively over inflated, making Scottish talent a cost-effective alternative. Scottish players are often keen to come for less money to play at the highest level available to them.

Coleraine's established pipeline

Coleraine have six Scottish players on their books, with Aidan Wilson and Jay Henderson arriving this summer from Scottish clubs. Manager Ruaidhri Higgins said he has always signed Scottish players for their character and talent. The fact that you can play in Europe is a big pull, Higgins added. Henderson noted the structural similarity between the Irish Premiership and the Scottish Championship, both being 10-team leagues, and said fellow Scots in the division had nothing but good things to say about the standard.

Dungannon's contrasting position

While their rivals build squads with this specific profile, Dungannon Swifts have taken a different path. The Swifts sit sixth in the Premiership with 12 points from seven games, a position built on a run of three straight wins before recent defeats. They lost 3-0 to a Crusaders side featuring Scot Rough on the scoresheet just two days ago, a result that leaves them seven points behind leaders Coleraine.

Their next challenge is a home fixture against 10th-placed Ballymena United on 19 December, a club that also lacks a Scottish player. As the league evolves, Dungannon's approach remains distinct, for now.

The report in full is at bbc.com