Beech Heads To Brunton

United have this morning signed 29-year-old Chris Beech after he was released from his contract yesterday with League One side Doncaster Rovers.

Beech started his career as a schoolboy with Manchester City way back in 1992, the Congleton-born left-back was also capped by England Schools and Youth in those early days.

He never played at first-team level for the Citizens in five years and eventually left the club for Wales on a free transfer to join Cardiff in August 1997.

Beech was a league ever-present in the 1997-98 season playing all 46 games for the Bluebirds before a surprise move saw him head back over Offa’s Dyke to sign on a free transfer for Rotherham United in the post-season.

He stayed with the Millers for four and a half seasons where he struggled to break into the first-team and made the short move across South Yorkshire to join Doncaster Rovers in December 2002.

Again Beech made intermittent appearances for the Donny first team although their official website does describe him as “playing a big part in the (club’s) two promotions.”

Chris was released by Doncaster yesterday so that he could sign for United and with Tom Cowan sidelined with a thigh injury he looks likely to go straight into the first team for the home game against Accrington tomorrow.

Don’t expect Beech to pose the same goalscoring threat at set-pieces as Cowan though, his scoring ratio is 0.01 goals per game, expect him to stay back and defend at attacking corners.

Beech will add another option to Paul Simpson’s squad after Marc Tierney’s loan spell from Oldham ended after Tuesday night’s game with Leigh RMI and will hopefully add some experience to United’s defence.