Troy Archibald-Henville agrees two year deal with the Cumbrians
Carlisle United have today agreed terms with defender Troy Archibald-Henville on a two-year deal which will keep him at Brunton Park until the end of the 2015/16 season.
Archibald-Henville, 25, started his career as a trainee with Spurs and had loan spells with Norwich City and Exeter City during his time with the north-London club.
His double loan stay with the Grecians earned him a permanent move in 2010 and he made over 100 appearances at St James’s Park before joining Swindon on a two-year deal in the summer of 2012.
He joined the Cumbrians on loan at the beginning of last season and played four games, helping the club to a run of two wins, one draw and one defeat with his brand of cultured and determined defending.
He returned to the Robins and recovered from knee surgery to feature in the bulk of Swindon’s fixtures at the back end of last season, but was released by the club in May this year.
“I think I said last season, when we got him up here, that we were all really impressed with what he did with us and then really disappointed when we had to lose him through injury,” manager Graham Kavanagh said.
“He then showed his worth with Swindon last season even though we all always knew what a good player he was. Getting the opportunity to bring him back has been absolutely top drawer and we’re delighted that everything is now agreed.”
“There are a number of things about him which make him a good signing,” he continued. “He’s a leader and he has all of the credentials to make him a top centre half. The injuries he’s had have slowed him down in terms of where he would like his career to be but he is a player who comes with an excellent pedigree.
“His game awareness and reading of situations is excellent and you’d like to think he will be a massive player for us at this level. An important factor in doing this deal is that we have seen him come through his rehab programme and we have seen him perform fantastically well for Swindon.
“Their manager speaks very highly of him and the fact he played so many games after the surgery shows that he’s back and ready to push on. I think they would ideally liked to have kept him but I got wind that he was available and I moved quickly to sort things out. The club have backed me yet again and he agreed to everything fairly quickly. I think it’s a great move for all of us.”
“I’m delighted with the quality of the signings we’ve agreed so far,” he concluded. “I was a little bit worried just a few weeks ago because we didn’t have deals over the line, but things look good for us now.
“We now have quality, experience, leaders and talent and it can only be a good thing. Add the young players to that, who will improve and gain more experience as every day goes by, and it all bodes really well for what we are trying to achieve.”
