Crawley Town sign midfielder Duke-McKenna

Crawley Town have signed free-agent midfielder Stephen Duke-McKenna on two-year contract. The 25-year-old Guyana international, who has also agreed an option for a third year, joins the club after leaving Harrogate Town. He has spent the past two years at the Yorkshire club after joining from Queens Park Rangers. He played six times in the Championship for the R's as well as having loan spells at Torquay United, Leyton Orient and Sutton United. Duke-McKenna scored six goals in 31 games in all competitions for Harrogate last season as the club were relegated to the National League. He has joined Crawley a day after former Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone was appointed as goalkeeping player-coach. "I think a lot of people won't have expected this signing because he was touted to be going different places, including, with due respect to us, some teams that are playing in the leagues above," Crawley manager Colin Kazim-Richards told the club website. "To be able to sign someone of his quality, it tells you now on paper where we're trying to go. Yes, we do have to do it on the pitch but now there's different conversations (with players), using him as the catalyst in terms of 'this is my first signing of the season'. "He is someone who has the ability to unlock defences, that is willing to put his body on the line but fundamentally has the quality to make an action of brilliance to win us a game."