Barrow AFC have announced their third new signing of Monday evening with the arrival of midfielder Tom Beadling.

The 24-year-old has joined the Bluebirds, his hometown club, on a two-year contract after fellow middle men Luke James and Mike Jones had done likewise earlier in the day.

Beadling, who most recently played for Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic, will provide a good option for AFC manager David Dunn as a defensive midfielder, although he can also play as a defender.

He was born in Barrow, although his family moved away from the town when he was very young to emigrate to Australia, where they settled in Perth.

It was while he was Down Under that Beadling developed as a footballer and he represented Western Australia at youth level while also playing for an Australia under-13 side.

After his family moved back to England, he joined Sunderland's academy and came through the Wearsiders' ranks at the same time as Bluebirds goalkeeper Joel Dixon.

Beadling never made a senior appearance for the Black Cats and was sent out on loan to Bury for the second half of the 2016/17 season.

He was moved out again to Dunfermline the following year and his form convinced the Pars to sign him permanently in the summer of 2018. 

Beadling went on to score seven goals in 58 appearances during his time at East End Park, which came to an end when he was released in May.