Place announced as new Athlone boss
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Former League of Ireland player Brendan Place has been unveiled as the new manager of First Division side Athlone Town. Place takes over from Dermot Lennon, whose disappointing reign at Lissywollen has come to an end after eighteen months.
From Athlone's official website: Brendan brings a wealth of experience both on and off the field with him having played with Home Farm, Longford Town, Monaghan United and Athlone Town. It was during his time at Athlone that then Gillingham boss Damien Richardson signed him for Gillingham who were playing in the old English League Division Three.
Since his retirement from playing, he has gained his UEFA B License and gained valuable experience as assistant manager and coach with the Irish under-17s and under-19s. He has also managed Malahide United in the Leinster Senior League.
He stated that he was already working on getting a squad together and it would consist of a core squad of younger players coming through, blended with key players in certain positions. He also said that he believed that the club was in a better position than it was this time last season with the response to the Patron Scheme, and that showed there was still an appetite for soccer in the town.
When asked about his backroom staff, he said he would be in a position on Tuesday night when pre-season training starts to announce this.
