Ebbsfleet United are pleased to announce the signing until the end of the season of central midfielder Michael Timlin.

The experienced former Southend United and Republic of Ireland youth international goes straight into the squad for the game at Torquay United this weekend.

He has spent the past season and a half with Stevenage, leaving the League Two club earlier this week after failing to agree terms on a new deal there.

Timlin, 34, was a Fulham academy graduate who signed for Swindon Town in 2008, making 100 appearances for the Robins in Leagues One and Two. He spent seven years from 2011-18 with Southend United, where he played alongside Myles Weston, clocking up more than 250 appearances for the Shrimpers and he played in the Wembley final that clinched promotion to League One in 2015.

He was a regular in the Stevenage squad last season after he signed for them in summer 2018 and returned to the club earlier this season, featuring 17 times in League Two from October to last week when he played his last game for Boro v Port Vale.

The new signing will wear squad number 20.

Fleet’s director of football Steve Lovell told the club website, “I’m delighted to sign him. I tried to get him when I was manager at Gillingham and he was at Southend. That didn’t come to anything so to get him now is great for us.

“He’s a very experienced player with a lot of league games behind him and he will bring a lot to us. He’s really looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“He’ll slot into that position we identified in central midfield and he knows the game. He’ll really benefit our boys being in there. They’ll get a lot from him. That’s four we’ve got in now and perhaps a couple more we need to add to give us a good chance and the best opportunity we can to stay in this league.

“We’re working on that all the time. It’s something I’ve been looking to do and it’s the reason I’ve been brought in, to identify and bring those players in and that’s what I’m aiming to do.”