Brighton kid says Motherwell loan move was 'no-brainer' after talking to coaches

James Furlong says joining Motherwell on loan was a “no-brainer” after speaking to Brighton coaches Gary Dicker and Gordon Greer.

Defender Greer and midfielder Dicker were both at Kilmarnock, and have found themselves on the coaching staff at Brighton and Hove Albion in the English Premier League.

Republic of Ireland under-21 left-back Furlong, 20, is still making his way in the game, but is delighted to be up at Fir Park and believes he’s getting better with every game.

As he prepared for the trip to face Hibs at Easter Road tomorrow, Furlong said: “When I first heard about it I didn’t want to turn down the opportunity.

“I think it’s a really good club here and I talked to a couple of people who spoke well about the club

“I think since I’ve come here I haven’t looked back, so long may that continue.

“One of my coaches, Gary Dicker, played in the league and he’s actually Irish himself, so he said what it was like,” said Furlong.

“[Pathway] manager Gordon Greer is from up here and he spoke very highly about the league.

“There was nothing but good things for them to say about the league, so I think it was a no-brainer for me to come here and progress.

“I’ve really enjoyed coming through at Brighton. It has been unbelievable and everyone there has been really good with me, since day one.

“Progressing through the academy and coming here has been really good, and they’ve shown a lot of faith in me.

“It’s a massive opportunity and you can see the pathway of young players coming through, it has been really good for producing young players.”

It has been a steep learning curve for Furlong, who was barely in the door at Fir Park before boss Stevie Hammell left, with Stuart Kettlewell taking over.

He admits that was difficult, but