Finnigan belief after Harriers move

John Finnigan believes he is joining a club on the up after Kidderminster Harriers won the race to sign the experienced midfielder on a free transfer.

Negotiations were concluded successfully yesterday afternoon, with the 33-year-old putting pen to paper on a two-year deal at Aggborough.

A hugely experienced Football League campaigner, the Wakefield-born playmaker has spent the last seven years at Cheltenham, making 219 appearances and skippering the side.

He also led at Lincoln in 143 appearances from 1998, after starting his career as a youngster at Nottingham Forest.

Now he steps into the Blue Square Premier for the first time in his 14-year career, and has targeted helping the club back into the Football League in the final throes of his career.

Finnigan said: "I'm looking forward to a new chapter in my career and doing well at Kidderminster. I know this is a club that is capable of getting back into the League and holding their own.

"If they can do that during my time here then that'd be great."

The veteran pass-master is reunited with Harriers boss Mark Yates and assistant Neil Howarth in the process, after the three were all together at Cheltenham at the start of the decade.

As players, they all shared the euphoria of a play-off final win in 2002 for promotion to what is now League One.

Now the trio join forces again to plot future glories.

Finnigan said: "Mark played in the play-off final at Cardiff when we were at Cheltenham. I looked up to him and Neil, so it's great to be coming to play for them now.

"They have put a lot of faith in me, so hopefully I can repay that and do the business for them."

A difficult couple of years at Whaddon Road, resulting in Finnigan losing the captain's armband after a series of injuries, led to the fan favourite falling out-of-favour when Martin Allen became Robins manager last September.

His contract was cancelled on Monday with a year left to run, with the new Harriers challenge officially beginning on Saturday.

The player said: "This is the first time I'd been available in my whole time at Cheltenham, so I was pleased that they showed such an interest and I'm pleased to be here now.

"I've had a strange last couple of years. A few injuries have taken their toll on me during that time, but I'm over them now."