Athlone Town FC appoints O'Connor as new manager
Kevin O'Neill
Athlone Town AFC has announced the appointment of Sean O’Connor as the club’s new men’s first-team head coach.
It had been anticipated that O'Connor's appointment would come in the next 24 hours, but the club has now confirmed the appointment of the former St Patrick's Athletic assistant manager.
Speaking on his appointment, O'Connor said: “I am delighted to be here at Athlone Town Football Club. It is a club that has massive potential with really good people behind the scenes. It’s my job to now add to that and push the team to achieve good things.“
O'Connor has signed a two-and-a-half contract with the club.
In its announcement, the club described O'Connor as having 'an excellent reputation as one of the most highly regarded coaches in the League of Ireland'. He has worked under several first-team managers at St Patrick's Athletic, including current Saints boss Stephen Kenny, the former Republic of Ireland manager.
Brian Shelley, the club's technical director, said: “Once we began to look for our next head coach, Sean stood out as the right person to lead our men’s first team. We believe he has all the qualities needed to be a successful head coach. He is an excellent coach, but just as importantly, he is a strong leader who knows how to manage people, build relationships and create a positive culture. He has a clear idea of how he wants his team to play and works to high standards every day. Sean is ambitious, hard-working and has a real passion for developing players and staff. We believe he is the right person to lead our men’s team and help move the club forward. We are delighted to welcome him to Athlone Town AFC and look forward to supporting him in the years ahead.”
O'Connor fills the vacancy left since the departure of Ian Ryan on July 6, following a run of ten games without a win.
The Town's interim manager Conor Barry, who was previously part of Ryan's coaching staff, steered the team to a first league win since April 24 when defeating Cobh Ramblers, at home, last weekend thanks to goals from Cillian Tollett and Peter Grogan. O'Connor's debut as Athlone manager will come in Friday's FAI Cup second round meeting with Munster Senior League side Midleton (Athlone Town Stadium, 7.45pm).