By Neil McGlade
The Republic of Ireland youngster had a brief spell on loan at the club from Motherwell in 2023 before returning to his homeland with Irish First Division side, Dundalk. However, the 22-year-old has now made the permanent move to the Capital with City and is ready to embrace the challenge set by manager Michael McIndoe of winning the league. The Citizens were beaten in the promotional play-offs last season by East Fife, who went on to secure promotion to Scottish football’s third tier. “I know it’s a good move because I know what I’m getting on and off the pitch when it comes to support from the club and the gaffer,” Mahon told the Evening News. “I loved my time here previously so I’m really excited. Things are going really well. The academy is doing great and we are a squad that truly believes we can win the league this season, which really helps. “The talent we have is special for a League Two side. We’re all on the same page and understand the demands the gaffer puts on us. There’s no point having a goal to be in the play-offs, you want to win the league. We have that belief and that’s the bare minimum we’re aiming for. The club came close last year so we have to do better.” Mahon signed for the Steelmen as an 18-year-old in 2022 and made one appearance before joining both City and Dunfermline on loan. The Dublin-born star admits he loved his previous time in Scotland and was always keen to try his luck again. “When I first came over, I was just a young lad at Motherwell and you were always around lads who were technically brilliant, fit and just the whole package really,” he explained. “It was a shock at the start as I’d come from part-time. So, I know more about Scottish football and once the season gets underway, I’ll have played in every league apart from the Championship. I love the game here with the cup games you find yourselves in and there’s a lot of opportunities to impress at different levels, so I think it’s a good outlet for young players. “I finished with Dundalk in November and then had a little spell from January until the end of the season in Northern Ireland. It was a long season, but I always knew that coming here was a possibility, so I wanted to keep myself ticking over. “I spoke with the gaffer in January but it didn’t happen then. We agreed we’d see where we were in the summer so when the chance came it was a no-brainer. The gaffer knows what I can do so it’s about finding that balance of playing freely and working as hard as you can. “Pre-season has been tough. We’ve been down to the beach but there’s been a lot of camaraderie between the guys. We got a great result (3-2) against Falkirk last weekend. I know everyone will say ‘oh it was just a pre-season friendly’, but you can only beat what’s in front of you. “Ultimately, you want to win these games, too. Falkirk are a very good side and they gave us a real tough test, but it was really pleasing to see when they had more of the ball, the lads were more than happy to dig deep for each other.” *Edinburgh City begin their Premier Sports Cup Group B campaign against Partick Thistle at Meadowbank next Friday, July 11. Kick-off is 7.45pm.