Kerley confirmed as Athlone Town boss for next season

ATHLONE Town FC have confirmed the reappointment of Mike Kerley as first-team manager for the 2012 Airtricity League season. Club officials had been in ongoing dialogue with last season's manager over the past couple of weeks, with a view to the Limerick native staying at the helm, and yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), the club confirmed they have come to an agreement with Kerley to remain in the Lissywollen hot-seat. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Kerley said: "I'm very happy to remain with Athlone, it's what I wanted all along. Confirming my appointment means we can speak to the bulk of last season's squad about staying on, and also to any potential new signings, though our scope to bring in new players is quite small, as we're operating off the same playing budget as last season." "We're limited in what we can do in terms of signing players, but it will be similar to last season, and the squad will be largely locally-based. I would hope to start confirming the make-up of the squad over the next few days." Both Gary Higgins and Davy Ryan have returned to junior football in Limerick, while Kevin Williamson and Mark Walshe have been linked with moves to other First Division clubs. Kerley said yesterday that he would be speaking with last season's players over the coming days. Kerley, who has managed Limerick and Waterford Utd in the past, took over Athlone in January and had only a few weeks to prepare a team for the start of the Airtricity League campaign. In the end, Athlone coped reasonably well with the First Division season, and finished the campaign in eighth position. Meanwhile, the club have also again stressed that supporters should not expect any new major money to be made available for squad recruitment, despite club officials having extensive discussions with a potential investor over recent weeks (the same unnamed individual that recently wiped out the Lissywollen stadium debt). Chairman Tony Knight said that the club have been discussing ideas and potential plans with the individual, and said there will be some key announcements in relation to the running of the club over the coming months. "We are looking to make some key appointments off the field of play," said Mr Knight. The chairman also expressed satisfaction at Kerley's reappointment, saying: "We are very happy Mike Kerley has decided to remain on board for the 2012 season. While we always felt confident Mike would remain here, it's great to get things finalised, and now Mike can begin the process of building a squad capable of competing well in the First Division." Kerley said Athlone will begin pre-season training in mid-January, with the season due to begin in early March.