FORMER Colchester United defender Miles Welch-Hayes has found a new club.

The 25-year-old departed the U's last month after more than two years at the club, after his contract was not renewed.

And the right-back will be staying in League Two, after signing for Harrogate Town.

 

Boss Simon Weaver told the Harrogate website: “We’ve seen a lot of him at Colchester and watching him I thought he was a gritty defender and a superb athlete.

“His attitude to defending was really refreshing, he wants to defend and enjoys defending, he’s hard to beat and that’s what we want to be as a team, he’s going to play an important part in that.

“We conceded too many goals last season to be successful, we have to try and learn our lessons and to do that we need the likes of Miles to come in.”

 

Welch-Hayes made 58 appearances in total for Colchester after joining them in February 2020, following his departure from Macclesfield Town.

He signed for the U's just days before that season was curtailed by the Covid pandemic.

Welch-Hayes ended up making his U's debut as an extra-time substitute in their play-off semi-final second leg defeat at Exeter City.

 

The right-back's most productive season for appearances came in the 2020-21 campaign, when he played 42 times and helped keep Colchester in League Two.

But the former Oxford City player found his opportunities at Colchester few and far between under Wayne Brown, in the second half of last season.

He made just four substitute appearances under the newly-appointed U's boss and is now looking forward to a fresh start at Harrogate.