Bradley signs up for Dunfermline

Stephen Bradley was released in the summer

Ireland Under-21 international Stephen Bradley has signed a short-term contract with Dunfermline Athletic and hopes to put his career back on track.

The 19-year-old midfielder was released by Arsenal in the summer and has since had a trial with Millwall.

"If I do well up until January, hopefully, I can sign a new contract then," he told The Courier newspaper.

"I talked to the manager and he said I'd be on the bench. Then it's up to me to get a place on the team."

Bradley was recommended to Dunfermline manager Davie Hay by Arsenal youth coach Liam Brady.

"I'm hoping to play some first-team football," said Bradley, who had a successful trial at East End Park. "That's why I left Arsenal.

"They told me that I had to go if I wanted to play first-team football because it wasn't going to happen at Arsenal."

The signing of Bradley is timely as fellow Irish midfielder Gary Dempsey faces six weeks on the sidelines after being injured during Saturday's defeat by Livingston.

Hay recently admitted that he was also interested in Icelandic winger Emil Hallfredsson, who helped Hafnarfjordur knock the Scottish Premier League outfit out of this season's Uefa Cup, but that the 20-year-old was outwith the Fife club's means.