Cork's Kevin Long is back with Birmingham City after agreeing new deal 

Kevin Long is back with Birmingham City after agreeing terms on a one year contract, with a year option.

The defender originally joined the Blues for the second half of last season from Burnley.

Long made an instant impact at St Andrew’s as he helped the club record their highest points tally for six seasons in the EFL Championship and that was enough to achieve safety with three games left to play.

He made 20 appearance during his spell with Birmingham City and kept clean sheets in six of those games, and he found the back of the net against Forest Green Rovers and Rotherham United.

"I am delighted to be signing back. Obviously, coming here in January, I had gone some time without playing football so in the beginning it was a bit tough. 

"But all the lads made me feel welcome and the Head Coach was great along with his staff,” he told the club’s media team.

"Coming into the summer, I was out of contract, there were other offers on the table but I just think that I enjoyed my time here, I enjoyed working under the Gaffer and enjoyed working with the players. 

"After weighing it up, I thought I would be happy going back and making more progress.

"I can't wait to get going. For the team this year, I want us to finish higher up the table. 

"I am a firm believer that if we work hard and get a group of players together that we can achieve whatever goals you put out."

Long started out with Cork City and he joined Burnley in January 2010. 

His first taste of regular senior football in England was a loan spell with Accrington Stanley in League Two during the 2010-11 season, and he helped the team qualify for the promotion play-offs by finishing in fifth place.

The defender’s next loan spell was with Rochdale, and that move was agreed in January 2012. 

That was supposed to last a month, but he stayed until the end of April and was on a team that was relegated to League Two.

Long finally experienced Premier League football in January 2015 by coming on as a substitute during a 3-3 draw with Newcastle United at St James Park.

His best season was a high point for Burnley as they finished seventh in the Premier League in 2018 and that quailed them for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

Long is also a senior Republic of Ireland international with 17 caps in his collection. 

The defender scored one goal for his country, and that was during a 3-1 victory over Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium in September 2019.