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Accrington Stanley have signed striker Dara Costelloe from Championship side Burnley on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has previously had loan spells with Bradford City in League Two as well as St Johnstone and Dundee in Scotland.

He has made six senior appearances for Burnley, having joined from Galway United in 2021.

"I am looking to develop, try and get as much as I can out of the season by helping the team, and getting some goals and assists," he said.

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Accrington Stanley have signed Bolton Wanderers midfielder Nelson Khumbeni on a half-season loan deal.

The Malawi-born 21-year-old worked under Stanley assistant Ged Brannan during a loan spell with Morecambe last season.

He could feature for Accrington, who have lost both their games this season, in Saturday's home game against Harrogate in League Two.

"I am happy to be here, I am ready to go, and hopefully we can push on," he told the club website., external

"Ged and I get on well too. When I was at Morecambe, it was easy to understand him and he understood me especially at the time coming in off an injury.

"He eased me in and threw me in when he could and he understood me as a person. I enjoyed him as a character so it was easy when he came calling for me to join Accrington."

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Accrington Stanley have signed left-back Jake Batty from Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan.

The 19-year-old made his first-team debut for the Championship club in an EFL Cup win over Hartlepool in 2022 and made his first start last season against Walsall in the same competition.

The League Two side are looking to strengthen after a poor start to the season, in which they have taken one point from three games.

Stanley manager John Doolan told the club website, external: "He is a young lad and is an aggressive no-nonsense left-back, who likes a tackle, joins in, and has got a good left foot.

"First and foremost what Ged [Brannan, assistant manager] and I liked about him was how aggressive he is in terms of defending, especially one-v-one situations."

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Accrington Stanley have signed left-back Jake Batty from Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan.

The 19-year-old made his first-team debut for the Championship club in an EFL Cup win over Hartlepool in 2022 and made his first start last season against Walsall in the same competition.

The League Two side are looking to strengthen after a poor start to the season, in which they have taken one point from three games.

Stanley manager John Doolan told the club website, external: "He is a young lad and is an aggressive no-nonsense left-back, who likes a tackle, joins in, and has got a good left foot.

"First and foremost what Ged [Brannan, assistant manager] and I liked about him was how aggressive he is in terms of defending, especially one-v-one situations."

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Accrington Stanley have signed Chester striker Charlie Caton for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 22-year-old started his career with Shrewsbury Town before joining the National League North side in October 2022, initially on loan.

He then joined the Seals on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023 and scored a total of 29 goals in 93 league and cup appearances.

Caton could make his debut for Stanley against Notts County in League Two on Saturday.

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Accrington Stanley have signed defender Benn Ward on a one-and-a-half-year deal from Championship side Burnley.

The 22-year-old came through Brighton & Hove Albion's youth system and joins Stanley for an undisclosed fee.

Ward previously played in League Two on loan with Swindon Town last season, and made five appearances for the club before being recalled in January 2024.

"I think this club is the right club to take me to another level, especially hearing about the club from other lads and the manager, it made me want to come here," he said.

"I know Ben Woods and Dara Costelloe from Burnley and it's nice knowing some people at the club as you can speak to them when you need them."

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Accrington Stanley have signed defender Devon Matthews from non-league club Curzon Ashton on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

And midfielder Ben Woods, 22, has signed an improved two-and-a-half-year contract with the League Two club.

Oldham-born Matthews, 25, who began his career in Oldham Athletic's youth system, has been with the Nash since May 2022.

Matthews has given up his sales job to sign a deal with John Doolan's Stanley tying him to the Wham Stadium until June 2027.

"It's a fantastic signing. We are made up with Devon," said assistant manager Ged Brannan. "We have been chasing him all season.

"Me and John Doolan have been to watch him six or seven times this season and he has impressed us every game he has played in. Him and Charlie Caton are the two best players in National League North, so he's only going to strengthen us."

Stanley are 19th in League Two, eight points above the drop zone, having previously made three signings in this January window - Morecambe striker Charlie Brown, Burnley defender Benn Ward and striker Charlie Caton, from National League North leaders Chester.

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Accrington Stanley have signed young midfielder Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh from Southampton on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

The 19-year-old is an academy product of League of Ireland side Cork City and made his first senior appearance for them in March 2023.

Southampton signed him in January of 2024 and since then he has gone on to feature for their U21's side.

"I just really wanted to get back into men's football," O'Brien-Whitmarsh said., external

"I played for Cork City, I spent five seasons there and one year in the first team. I played around 25-30 times so I am not naive to men's football.

"I feel I can offer something positive here and this was the perfect opportunity for me.

"This is a step up in my career, I have had all these challenges throughout and have been able to overcome them so this is another challenge. It's very exciting."

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Accrington Stanley have released captain Seamus Conneely after a decade with the club but offered new contracts to midfielders Conor Grant and Dan Martin.

Conneely, 36, joined the club in January 2015 from Sligo Rovers and made 378 appearances for Stanley.

He was a key part of the side which won the League Two title in 2017-18 and had a testimonial at the club last summer.

Manager John Doolan told the club website:, external "Seamus has led the football club superbly both on and off the field of play for over a decade.

"He has been the ultimate professional throughout his time with Stanley and will go down as a club legend."

Grant, 30, only joined Accrington in February while Martin, 23, came through the club's academy and has played 77 times for the club in all competitions.

Veteran midfielder Shaun Whalley is still in negotiations with the club while also departing the League Two side are Jay Rich-Baghuelou, Seb Quirk, Aaron Pickles, Lewis Trickett, Liam Isherwood, Lewis Rhodes and Ash Hunter.

Stanley owner Andy Holt has agreed to continue funding the club up to £250,000 a year, despite recently saying he would step down as chairman

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Accrington Stanley's academy could be saved from closure by a grant from Hyndburn Council.

The League Two club announced last week that it would be forced to close the academy as a cost-cutting measure.

That came amid a row with the council over the loss of revenue from use of club facilities for non-matchday events, after the council revoked its entertainment licence following noise complaints from neighbours.

The council said on Tuesday it would stump up the £140,000 which it said in a statement would "be the figure required to keep the Academy operational for the next 12 months."

The council statement, external also said: "Like many, we are deeply concerned about the impact this decision will have on young people and families from Hyndburn.

"As mentioned in our previous statement, upon hearing this news we immediately contacted Accrington Stanley FC to ascertain more information on the reasoning behind the decision and to offer the council's support to save the academy from closure.

"We have therefore asked that Accrington Stanley FC gives urgent consideration to this offer and respond as soon as possible so that we can work together to avoid irreversible consequences.

"We have also contacted the EFL to express our commitment to the Academy and the club, and to request their support in helping safeguard both."

Accrington Stanley have been contacted by the BBC for comment.

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Accrington Stanley winger Shaun Whalley has said he is "made up" to have extended his stay with the club.

The 37-year-old returned for a second spell with the Lancashire side in July 2022 and won the club's players' player of the season award for this campaign.

He signed a new one-year deal, external with the League Two side on Friday.

"I was waiting for them to offer me a contract and fortunately they did. I was delighted to get it completed," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I love it [being a footballer]. It's been my life for a long time now, and even before I was playing because my dad had a good career.

"It means everything to me, so the fact I can keep playing is brilliant."

Stanley finished 21st in the fourth tier this season, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

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