Cove Rangers midfielder Mark Gallagher becomes Elgin City's latest loan capture
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A former Aberdeen and Ross County midfielder has become Elgin City's latest loan signing.
Mark Gallagher has been farmed out by Cove Rangers to the Black and Whites for the rest of the season.
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He joins Cove team-mate Dajon Golding, who is also on loan at City from the Aberdeen outfit.
Gallagher (22) was signed by Cove from Highland League Formartine United last summer.
His career began at Ross County youths and he switched to Aberdeen, where he had loan spells at Cliftonville and Forfar Athletic, playing twice against Elgin in his latter spell.
City boss Hale first saw the player in action when he was bossing Huntly and came up against Gallagher in his spell at Formartine.
"Mark was always a key target for us," Hale said. "He’s someone that I know very well from his time at Formartine where he always stood out.
"He’s someone who likes to get on the ball and play, he likes to dictate the tempo of the game and will give you that composure and calmness in the middle of the park and he’s someone who had has the ability to thread the passes.
"He’s a really good player at a good age and good experience in terms of playing at Cove pretty regularly during the first half of the season.
"He's more of a box-to-box midfielder," he said. "I think it's no secret we need more mobility and more tenacity in terms of the way that we want the team to play.
"He’s match fit because he’s been playing for Cove so its an easy integration for him.
"Rory MacEwan is injured just now and we needed another central midfielder."
As well as Golding and Gallagher, City also have Aberdeen's Blair McKenzie, Ross County's Connall Ewan and Caley Thiste's Keith Bray on loan.
They have also brought in Lyall Booth and Michael Dangana from Hale's previous club Huntly.
City also confirmed last night that Owen cairns and goalkeeper Oliver Kelly have signed two-year contract extensions.
