ROSCOMMON MANAGER FERGAL O’Donnell has stepped down from his role in charge of the county’s footballers after three years in charge.
O’Donnell is revered in the county he represented as a midfielder, having guided the Rossies to victory in the Connacht Senior Football Championship for the first time in nine years when they beat Sligo in 2010.
The 2011 campaign was not quite as fruitful for Roscommon, after a Connacht final defeat to Mayo was followed up by a heavy loss to Tyrone in the Championship, but it had been hoped that he would continue in the role.
Roscommon PRO Colm Beirne told The Score that, with O’Donnell’s resignation coming as “such a surprise,” no names are yet in the frame to take on the vacant position.
“To be quite honest we haven’t even thought about it,” said Beirne. “Maybe next week we’ll begin to look at it but we’re only just after getting the news ourselves, really.”
Beirne paid tribute to O’Donnell, and said that the possibility remains that he will take on the role again at some point in the future, having left this time around for family reasons.
“He’s been a great servant to Roscommon football as a player, minor manager and senior manager. The possibility is always there that he’ll come back in years to come when his kids get a bit older, but he leaves with the best wishes of both the County Board and the supporters.”
