Blow for Athlone Town as Mernagh leaves set-up for second time

FORWARD Johnny Mernagh has left Athlone Town for the second time in a matter of months. Athlone manager Brendan Place confirmed Mernagh's departure after last weekend's home loss to Sporting Fingal. Mernagh had only recently returned to the club after originally parting company with Athlone at the end of the 2008 season. The attacker, who also played on the right side of Athlone's midfield at times this season, has opted to return to junior football with Athenry. Place said: "Johnny has decided to return to Athenry. I'm disappointed by it but that's life and we move on without him. I felt Johnny gave us something we didn't previously have but perhaps he didn't really have the desire or hunger to play at League of Ireland level. I can't stand in his way." Looking back at the defeat to Sporting Fingal last Saturday, Place said: "People look at the game and say we should have won just because they were down to ten men for a long period, but it's more complicated than that. You only have to look at the UCD and Waterford match at the weekend. UCD were down to ten men and it was scoreless but they went on to win the game 1-0. "It becomes a difficult situation at times and to be fair to Sporting Fingal they didn't just sit in and drop deep - unlike Shelbourne when they recently went down to ten men against us. You still have to move the ball quickly and intelligently and the weather conditions didn't help us in that respect. We still created a couple of chances but Stephen (Place) missed them and Fingal always remained very dangerous on the counter attack." Athlone will have Noel McGee available again this weekend after he served a suspension against Fingal, while Kevin Williamson also has a chance of making the squad following an ankle injury. Anthony Hayes will be missing with a hamstring problem while it looks increasingly unlikely that midfielder Mick Byrne, who has only started one game this season, will play again this season due to injury. Athlone begin the last round of fixtures at Mervue Utd on Saturday and Place feels his squad is well equipped to pick up plenty of points during the remaining eleven matches. "We're back to where our journey began. We defeated Mervue on the opening night of the season thanks to a Noel McGee goal and are hoping for much of the same this weekend. I think our squad is vastly improved since that occasion and we have added some good quality to it. I'm confident of having a very good last third of the season," said Place.