Southend United seal deal for Noel Hunt

Former Ipswich Town striker Noel Hunt has signed a one-year deal with Southend United.

The 32-year-old was released by the Tractor Boys at the end of last season, but the Irishman has been snapped up by Southend, who earned promotion to League One last season.

Manager Phil Brown told the club's official website: "He was top of the list of targets. We had a list of strikers and Noel came on our radar through Eamon Collins – his agent. Eamon's a good friend of mine and I owe a lot to him. He helped convince Noel that we're progressing.

"It'll be a two-year deal, no doubt about that. The option is to do with performance and goals. He's an ambitious lad and is a feisty character. Hopefully he'll bring all that to the party and I'm really looking forward to working with him and the rest of the team."

Hunt has played the last eight years of his career in either the Premier League or Championship, scoring 42 goals in 192 appearances.