Ronan Aiden Connolly Shea Chap Hale

Ronan Hale's January 2026 move to Gillingham came after a public stand-off. Ross County rejected a £200,000 bid from the English club, and Hale handed in a transfer request. He then joined on a two-and-a-half-year contract; the fee was undisclosed, though reported at between £250,000 and £300,000. He has made 24 appearances for Gillingham and scored six goals.

Hale came through the youth ranks at Crusaders in Belfast and moved to the Birmingham City academy in 2016. He scored 28 goals for the under-21 side but made no first-team appearances, and left by mutual consent in January 2019. A loan at Derry City in 2018 had already shown what he could do: he scored a hat-trick on his debut and won the League of Ireland Cup.

Back in Northern Ireland, his most striking afternoon came at Larne. In the 2022 play-off final against Glentoran he scored four goals, securing European qualification for the club. He joined Cliftonville that May and scored 32 league goals in 62 appearances. That spell included a brace in the 2024 Irish Cup final.

Ross County signed him in July 2024. In 2024–25 he scored 12 goals in 36 league appearances, but the club went into the relegation play-offs and were then relegated to the Scottish Championship.

Hale played for the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level, then switched allegiance to Northern Ireland in 2025. He made his senior debut on 10 June 2025 in a 1–0 friendly win over Iceland. His honours include the Irish Cup with both Cliftonville and Crusaders, and the County Antrim Shield.