Former Hartlepool United striker Aidan Keena signs for St Patrick's Athletic

The Irish attacker heads back to the Emerald Isle having spent the last 18 months at Cheltenham.

Keena, who made his professional debut for St Pat's as a teenager, creating a goal before being sent off, has spent time in Scotland, England and Ireland.

After signing for Hearts in 2017, he impressed while on loan with Queen's Park, where he scored eight league goals in 14 games, and Dunfermline, where he scored four times in 12 matches.

His impressive form north of the border caught the attention of then Pools manager Dave Challinor, who lured him to Victoria Park following an unsuccessful trial at local rivals Darlington.

Keena, by then a Republic of Ireland under-21 international, scored twice, including a memorable late winner at Solihull Moors, in eight National League games during his time in the North East.

He returned to Scotland in August 2020, signing for Falkirk, before an impressive spell back in Ireland with Sligo Rovers.

He finished a prolific first season at the Showgrounds with 18 league goals and two UEFA Conference League strikes, netting the winner away to Scottish side Motherwell.

His eye catching form compelled League One side Cheltenham to shell out a rumoured club record £71,000 to bring him back across the Irish Sea in January 2023.

His six goals, including four in the final four games, were enough to help the Robins beat the drop.

However, he struggled to find the net in his second season in Gloucestershire, scoring just once in 46 games as Cheltenham were relegated to League Two despite a resurgence under former Pools promotion-winner Darrell Clarke.

Keena returns to St Patrick's, who are seventh in the League of Ireland Premier Division, where he will reunite with manager Stephen Kenny, who handed him his debut for the Republic of Ireland under-21s in 2019.