The now 32-year-old, who won the FA Youth Cup with Ipswich Town back in 2005 and went on to play 8 first team games as well as have loan spells with Millwall, Hamilton Academical and Wycombe Wanderers, arrives with a wealth of experience from playing in the Danske Bank Premiership with Linfield and Portadown.

Casement has spent the last ten years playing in Northern Ireland’s top tier and has racked up several Premiership and Irish Cup titles on his CV, along with appearances in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

The defender is set to fly over from Northern Ireland at the start of next week, ahead of starting a new job in Suffolk, and will continue his playing career with the Old Gold and Blacks, subject to international clearance going through.

Casement told https://stowmarkettownfc.co.uk: “RickAndrews told me his plans for the club and where they want to be. He sold the club really well to me, and I know a couple of the boys. Jack Ainsley was at Ipswich with me as a young boy.

“Playing in Europe and winning league titles, I want to bring that experience into the dressing room at Stowmarket. I’ll be doing everything I can to help the team make it a successful season this year.

“I’m still in Northern Ireland at the moment, but I’m coming over on Monday. I’ve got a flight booked and I’m looking forward to getting over, meeting the boys and getting ready to kick on and play again.”

However, leaving Stow is striker Christy Finch (pictured), who has re-joined league rivals Gorleston.

The Stow striker, who scored 21 goals in his debut season with the Old Gold and Blacks in 2019-20, has ended his stay at Greens Meadow to return to one of his former clubs.

Finch scored the winner in his last appearance for Stow, ironically against Gorleston, in a 1-0 win back on September 8, but has since been out on the sidelines with a rib injury which forced him off early in that game.