Dundalk managerial decision delayed
Credit:
Dundalk FC will remain without a manager for up to another week after the club announced on Thursday night that it has delayed the decision on who will lead the Lilywhites into next season’s Premier Division. The Board conducted a number of interviews for the position over the past week and had hoped to reveal their preferred choice by today (Friday).
However, instead, a shortlist has now been drawn up for second interviews, which are due to commence on Monday next. “We have received a lot of excellent applications for the position and have spent the week narrowing down a shortlist,” Dundalk CEO Gerry Matthews told the club’s official website.
“We will hold second interviews early next week with the aim of entering final negotiations on Wednesday. Hopefully, it will be settled then but it may be Thursday before an announcement is made. This is a big decision and although I would have preferred to have the issue resolved quickly, it is too big of a decision to rush.”
In or around ten candidates are reported to have applied for the job, including a trio of perceived no-hopers, Roddy Collins, John Ryan and Aaron Callaghan. Fellow ex-Dundalk player Tony Cousins is also understood to have thrown his name into the hat, though rumours suggesting that ex-Republic of Ireland and Liverpool star Ronnie Whelan had landed the job were dismissed by the club on Thursday.
Ex-Sligo Rovers boss Sean Connor is believed to be on Matthews’ shortlist of contenders and is vying with Galway United manager Jeff Kenna, who is currently on holidays, for the post, while John Gill is still rated as an outside contender to continue for a fourth straight season. Former Shamrock Rovers chief Pat Scully, however, appears to be out of the running after being favourite for the job before it even became available, with another one-time front-runner Stephen Henderson also unlikely to be considered at this point.
