Shrewsbury Town sign midfielder Gary Deegan

The 28-year-old tough-tackling midfielder became Micky Mellon's second summer capture when he followed Rochdale centre-back Olly Lancashire in signing a two-year deal at the Greenhous Meadow.

Deegan had a 12-month extension cancelled by mutual agreement at Southend, where the Dubliner had played for the last two years.

A defensive midfielder known for his iconic beard and customised high-cut shorts, the former Coventry and Northampton ballwinner has been booked 44 times and sent off twice in 136 League appearances with Coventry, Hibernian, Northampton and Southend.

Initially spotted in Ireland, he won League of Ireland titles with Bohemians in 2008 and 2009.

At the Sky Blues, Deegan was banned for two weeks by the club, pending an internal investigation, after tweeting a pro-IRA slogan.

Then in 2012-13 while at Hibs, he suffered a broken jaw when he was victim of an unprovoked attack in Edinburgh city centre.

But Mellon is convinced about his qualities and character.

"I'm absolutely certain he'll be a great crowd favourite," said Mellon.

"I'm sure the fans will enjoy him playing in a Shrewsbury Town jersey.

"He's a defensive midfielder that can sit in-front of the centre-backs, protect them, and he's also a great leader, organiser, character, and a massive winner.

"He'll be tough on the players around him because he has high standards of himself and his team-mates and he'll get the most out of them, so I'm really pleased to get him in.

"We're recruiting players that have character, who, when they lose, it spoils their weekend and it means a lot to them and Gary Deegan falls right into that category.

"We're getting another character in which I think is important, and we look forward to working with him and getting him going."

Mellon revealed he tried to sign Deegan last season but Southend blocked the deal.

"I was actually interested in him last season, but Southend weren't keen on letting him go," he said.

"But he's a midfielder I believe we need and one I've known for a long time, from when he played for Hibs in the Scottish Premier League.

"He caught my eye then and I sort of watched him. He had spells at Coventry, Northampton and then Southend."

Town leaked 91 goals in all competitions last season and Mellon is convinced Deegan will help address that.

"In front of that back four or five where Deegan operates and is very good, we needed to be better," said the boss.

"He handles his levels comfortably well so it's a good addition on and off the pitch."

Southend were play-off contenders for a large chunk of the season while Town were fighting the drop before the Shrimpers tailed off in 15th, just five places and nine points above Town.

Deegan admits Mellon 'sold' the club to him, saying: "It was about getting a feel of it. I spent a good half-hour on the phone to Micky talking football and you get a feel for someone.

"He sold the club to me. You only have to look around at the infrastructure - everything's in place to move on and I'm here to be part of that.

"I just felt a new journey was what I needed. When I spoke to Micky, he excited me and it was a no-brainer in the end.

"I'm excited. I've got a desire to win and I want to show that to everyone at Shrewsbury."

Deegan believes he's more than just a ballwinner, stressing: "I like to see myself as an all-rounder. I'm not afraid to put myself about but I can also get on the ball and pass it.

"There's a lot of good things I can do and you'll get to see that over the course of the season."

Southend were promoted with Town in 2014-15 but Deegan sees Salop being a force in League One next season.

"It's going to be even more competitive (next season) with the teams dropping down and with some big teams coming up," he said.

"It's going to be competitive league, but with the players we have, I think we can give it a right good go.

"I enjoyed my time at Southend - I helped the team and we got promoted.

"They've done well and I've helped them do that so I can walk away and the fans can be happy."