Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter has agreed a contract extension with the club to keep him at Seaview for a further three years.

With a year of his current contract still to run, this new two-year deal will keep Baxter at the club until at least the end of the 2024/25 season.

After having guided the club to victory in the Irish Cup and surpassing the 850 games in charge milestone during the season Baxter was delighted to commit his immediate future to the north Belfast side.

Speaking to the official club website he said: "I am really pleased that the club are in a good position and going forward we have really good plans as to where we want to try and get to. When things like this comes around it is very easy to put together.

"My relationship with the club here over a long period of time has been so easy and contracts are discussed and talked about in five minutes between us and it makes it so easy when you work with really good people.

"When you have a strong board with good structures behind them and know the ethos of the club and what they are looking for it makes my job easy and when I know what they want and the type of establishment we are trying to build here it's great so I am delighted to get it done.

"Things like [records] don't honestly interest me. It's nice when they come around and the records will show that but I don't sit and think about it day to day.

"There is so much to get on with in football and that is the day to day and since the season has finished we are talking to players, we are looking at areas we want to strengthen or maybe players that are moving on whatever the case may be and there is always something going on with the football club every day of the week.

"We are building towards a new season. We only have four weeks off and yet we are still planning our preparations and we will go into preseason and get ready for Europe so all of those things will be on my mind over the next few weeks."

Chairman Ronnie Millar was also pleased to complete the deal and told the website: "Stephen signing is absolutely fantastic. It was no brainer because at the end of the day Stephen has produced the goods both as a player and manager for such a long time.

"The service he has given this club and the trophies he has brought here has been wonderful. It was very easy dealing with Stephen over the contract talks and especially after winning the Irish Cup and we have the best manager in the country by far."