Well fellow Búhos, we are here, we’ve reached the point of the offseason where new signings are coming in and boy did Jay and the Front Office come out swinging today! The tease last night was just perfect, if you saw the video it was a grainy video of one player assisting another for a goal. Our two new signings are familiar to most of us, having played against them last season, but they both bring some intriguing attributes to this team and they both featured in the video. Let’s shine some light on our two new Owls; Conor Doyle and Greg Hurst.
Positions: Midfield/Winger
Prior club: Chattanooga Red Wolves
Let’s start from the top with Conor. He was born in McKinney, TX where he grew up playing youth and high school soccer. He graduated in December 2009 and enrolled at Creighton University as an early enrollee. Yep, that’s right, one of our first new signings is already familiar with Omaha. Connor spent the 2010 season at Creighton appearing 7 times and scoring 3 goals, not a bad return. In his one season with Creighton, Conor helped the team amass a 7-0-0 record.
Conor’s career at Creighton ended there when he signed for Derby County, then in the English Championship. He made 22 appearances for Derby during his time there. During the 2013 season Conor was loaned to DC United in MLS where he stayed permanently until 2015. During his time at DC United he appeared 36 times and scored 4 goals. He left DC for the Colorado Rapids (what up Ben?)[Editor’s note:Hello! I am SO excited about these two!] where he was quickly loaned to the Colorado Switchbacks. Conor spent the 2017 and 2018 season with NASL and NPSL teams before landing at Chattanooga.
Conor has played for Chattanooga in the first two seasons of USL League One. He appeared 40 times for the Red Wolves and scored 2 goals. During his time with Chattanooga he played more of a midfield role. At 29 years of age, Conor brings plenty of experience, both in domestic and foreign leagues. Overall in his professional career Conor has played in 154 matches and has scored 15 goals.
First Impressions: When I saw this news I can’t lie and say I wasn’t pretty excited. Conor Doyle is a name I remember from his brief time at Creighton but remember more from watching USL League One the past two seasons. He brings a wealth of experience with him, including playing at a high level in Europe, and he knows how to find the back of the net. Most importantly, Conor has an Omaha connection and brings some maturity to our locker room. I imagine Conor was brought in to fill one of the central midfield spots and add depth in that area. He hasn’t played up top consistently in a few years so I don’t see him taking that role too often. He also can fill in on either wing to relieve Evan or EVD when they need rest. I can’t wait to see what he does when linked up with Toby, EVD, Evan, JP, and others!
Position: Forward
Prior club: Chattanooga Red Wolves
You read that right, both of our new signings are from Chattanooga. If you were excited about Conor Doyle then you should be ecstatic about Greg Hurst. Our newest striker was born and raised in Scotland and even went on trial with Everton when he was younger.
Conor’s professional career started with St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership. He spent his first season on loan at his hometown Stirling Albion, only appearing twice. He spent 2015-2018 with St. Johnstone, but only appearing three times. While he didn’t receive much time while in the Scottish Premiership, he most definitely gained experience training against top flight European talent on a daily basis. Put it this way, during his time at St. Johnstone Greg was practicing with Steven MacLean (129 career goals) and on a team that went to the Europa League.
Following those seasons Greg spent the next three seasons on loan from St. Johnstone to Scottish League One and Two clubs. Here he was able to gain match experience by playing 48 times and scoring 12 goals. In January 2019, Greg secured a permanent move to Stenhousemuir in Scottish League Two before moving to Chattanooga in August 2019.
During his career in Chattanooga Greg Hurst appeared 21 times and scored 10 goals, including the one in the tease from the club. Greg was also named to the 2020 USL League One All-First Team! Greg Hurst, while only 23 years old, also brings some good experience with him to Union Omaha.
First impressions: It was going to be a difficult task getting me more excited than announcing Conor Doyle but adding in Greg Hurst along with him was icing on top of the cake. Hurst brings us something we sorely need, a true forward that can lead the line. At 23 he is young enough to keep growing but can also come in and immediately take on the starting forward role. Just imagine Evan on the left, Hurst in the middle, and EVD on the right…no really, just imagine it. [Editor’s note: I AM IMAGINING IT!]
Final Thoughts: Búho Nation, it’s time to get excited! These signings are proof that our club is in this league for the long run. They made roster moves after the season that some questioned, but these signings should show you Jay and company’s intent for the 2021 season. Jay doesn’t want second place (by default) and it looks like he has the backing of ownership. I can’t wait to see what else our club has up their sleeves! In the meantime, rewatch those highlight tapes Liam Keating put together for us, by clicking each player’s name, and bask in the glory of this day!
Who Gives A Hoot? 