Watford Ladies have persuaded Republic of Ireland Under-19 goalkeeper Caoimhe O’Reilly to pledge her future to the Golden Girls.

The 18-year-old, who has previously spent all of her career in Ireland, becomes the Hornets’ fourth signing of the day and their second new keeper of the afternoon, following the capture of former QPR shot stopper Sophie Cheadle and midfielders Georgia Miller and Natalie Richardson from West Ham and QPR respectively.

O’Reilly said: “I’m excited to be here. To play in WSL2 is definitely a big step for where I want to get to, it’s going to help me with internationals. I’ll get to play with top quality players so I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”

With a number of keepers now on the books, the competition for the number one jersey is likely to be intense and it is a challenge that the new addition is looking forward to.

She said: “At the moment there’s still a few keepers around so we’re unsure of who’s going to be first choice. We’re all pushing each other in training, there’s healthy competition, which is always good, but obviously I’m aiming to be first choice for the first team.”

Watford, who begin their season away at London Bees tomorrow, are expected to announce a further two signings today to bring their new complement up to six.