Newcastle United have signed established Premier League striker, Melanie Reay and Rachael Furness from North East rivals Sunderland.
Mel will swop the Red and White stripes of local neighbours Sunderland to don the Black and White number seven shirt of the Magpies for the coming season.
Reay has vast experience in the FA Women`s Premier League and has topped the scoring charts in the Northern Division on three seperate occasions, while helping Sunderland to win the Northern Division twice.
Rob Atkin, NUWFC Head coach, said: "We are really pleased to get a player of Mel`s calibre. She has been an excellent role model for young players in the region and I`m looking forward to working with her."
"Mel has a proven track record when it comes to hitting the net. If our squad had a fault last season, it was not converting the many chances we created which allowed our opponents to get back into the games."
The move may also have been made easier by the fact that Mel is the cousin of celebrated Geordie goalscoring hero, Alan Shearer.
Rachael is a Northern Ireland international and can play on the left side of midfield or in the middle of the park.
Mel commented: "It has been a hard decision to leave Sunderland after so many years but I`m really looking forward to the new challenge with Newcastle United."
