Shock as Sullivan departs Athlone women's role

Athlone Town AFC women's team is again looking for a new manager.

The club announced tonight that John Sullivan had departed.

A club statement said Sullivan had tendered his resignation.

The club said: "We would like to thank John for his efforts with the club, both with our men's and women's teams."

The shock departure comes just one game into the new league season.

Sullivan only took over the reins in the second half of last season after the resignation of Colin Fortune. He went on to guide the club to an historic cup and league double. And already this season, the club secured silverware, in the shape of the President's Cup.

The Athlone statement read: "Our focus remains solely on preparing the team for their upcoming league fixture against DLR Waves this coming Saturday."

The statement said the club would be making no further comment.