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New Roscommon manager John Evans. INPHO/James Crombie
In The Hotseat

Roscommon appoint Evans as new boss

The Kerry native will take over in the Connacht county from Des Newton.

JOHN EVANS WAS last night ratified as the new manager of the Roscommon senior footballers for a two-year term.

The Kerry native will fill a vacancy that has been created since Des Newton stepped down as boss of the Connacht side in April after just one year in charge.

The announcement at a county board meeting completes a search that had dragged on in the Connacht county with former Offaly boss Gerry Fahy, DCU Sigerson Cup winning manager Niall Moyna and former Monaghan and Meath manager Seamus McEnaney all having being linked to the post.

The appointment will see Evans facing huge distances to travel as it is a round trip of over 330 miles from his Killorglin home to the base of Roscommon GAA, Dr Hyde Park.

It marks the continuation of a hectic year for Evans as he slots into his third inter-county role in 2012.

The Kerry native began the year as manager of the Tipperary senior footballers, a position he first filled at the start of the 2008 campaign, but stepped down in mid March after a run of poor results in Division 3 of the league that culminated in a defeat to Sligo.

Evans was then drafted into the Meath coaching setup by Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney and was in the running to replace the Monaghan native when he stepped down in the Royal County before Mick O’Dowd was eventually chosen as McEnaney’s successor last month.

Evans now takes over the reins at a Roscommon team who will be building to bounce back from the disappointments this summer of losing heavily to Galway in the Connacht championship and Tyrone in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

They will begin their Division 3 campaign next February with a home tie against Sligo followed by an away tie to Fermanagh. In the 2013 Connacht championship Roscommon have been handed the unenviable task of facing either Galway or Mayo at the semi-final stage on June 16th.

But Roscommon do have a well of underage talent to draw from having won the last two Connacht minor championships and Connacht U21 titles in 2010 and 2012 while they also contested this year’s Cadbury’s All-Ireland U21 football final against Dublin.

Evans will be hoping to replicate the early impact he made when in charge of Tipperary as he won league promotion from Division 4 in 2008 and from Division 3 in 2009, and also steered the county’s U21 team to Munster glory in 2010.

He had previously enjoyed success with his home club Laune Rangers in guiding them to the 2006 All-Ireland Club SFC title while he also had a stint with the Tralee-based outfit Kerins O’Rahilly’s.

The identity of Evans back room team is to be announced in the coming weeks

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