Athlone Town confirm appointment of new team manager
The board of management of Athlone Town AFC has announced that Martin Russell has agreed to become the club's senior team manager for the 2022 season.
Martin is a well-known and highly respected figure in Irish football circles as both a coach and a former player.
After reaching an agreement with the club regarding the manager's position, Martin said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining Athlone Town AFC as its men's first team manager."
"With the potential the club has, I am determined to make Athlone Town AFC as successful as possible in 2022," he added.
The deal to bring Martin to the club was finalised following talks between the parties over the last few days.
The board of Athlone Town AFC was keen to move quickly and have a new manager in place as soon as possible, after Paul Doolin opted not to continue in the role.
The club believes that bringing in somebody with Martin's extensive coaching experience and reputation as manager will benefit all concerned with Athlone Town as it prepares for next season's First Division competition.
The club hopes that all who are associated with the club and supporters will get behind Martin and his squad before and during the 2022 season.
Russell has previously managed teams in the League of Ireland, including UCD, Bray Wanderers and Limerick. He has also served as both a player and assistant manager with St Patrick's Athletic.
The holder of a UEFA Pro licence, he has in recent seasons been involved in coaching players on Maynooth University's scholarship programme.
During his playing career, Martin had stints at clubs including Norwich, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Scarborough and Middlesbrough in England, having initially joined Manchester United as an apprentice.
He also featured for a very successful Portadown side in the Northern Irish League during the 1990s.
He was also capped at underage level, including at U-21 and 'B' level for Ireland. He was part of the Irish U-18 squad that finished fourth in the 1984 European Champions, and the 1985 World Youths Championship Finals.