| Exile Cochlin flies to Eagles' nest |
| Wednesday 19 May 2010 |
 NEWPORT County midfielder Paul Cochlin is the third high profile signing of the close season for Neath manager Andrew Dyer. The commanding 26-year-old central defender returns to the Welsh Premier after an absence of five years, scoring twice from 29 appearances for Cwmbran Town in season 2004/5 after playing previously for UWIC Inter Cardiff and Team Bath. A British Colleges and British Universities representative who represented Great Britain at the World Student Games, Cochlin moved to Carmarthen in the 2005 close season and played in the away leg of the Uefa Cup tie against Longford Town, before an immediate transfer to Merthyr Tydfil. He later moved on to Newport County and then Bath City in June 2008, before returning to the Exiles, where he has been unable to agree terms with manager Dean Holdsworth for County's first season in the Blue Square Premier. By the end of last season, he had scored 10 goals in 68 appearances for the Spytty Park outfit. Last week, Neath announced the signing of Craig Hughes and Paul Fowler from Carmarthen, while Cochlin's team-mate at Newport last season, Martyn Giles, has joined Llanelli. Photo: Neath boss Dyer with new signing Paul Cochlin. |