Fitzgerald steps down as Clare football coach

After just a year in the job, Ephie Fitzgerald has resigned as trainer of the Clare senior footballers. His decision comes in the wake of Clare’s disappointing exit to lowly Longford in the qualifiers.

The former Cork player and Nemo Rangers clubman cited “family and work commitments” as the reason for his decision to step down from Colm Collins’ management team.

Fitzgerald, who has coached Nemo Rangers to four Cork senior football championship titles, succeeded fellow Corkonian, Paudie Kissane in the job at the start of the year after he too hadvacated the position after one year in the role.

And things may get worse for football boss Colm Colins as selector Ger Keane has strongly hinted that he may call time on his involvement with the squad.

After Saturtday’s match with Longford, Ger Keane told The Clare Champion that “it’s more than likely I will step down. I have three years done and with family and work commitments, it is very hard to see where you’d get the time to give it another year. Without the support of my wife, Lorraine, it wouldn’t have been possible to have stayed involved this long”.

The Kilkee man, a member of the teaching staff at St. Caimins Community School in Shannon, was a selector with Mick O’Dwyer and continued in that role for the past two years.

Clare football manager Manager Collins paid tribute to Fitzgerald “for his work with Clare over the past year. It is a big commitment and all in Clare football appreciate his work. I wish him well going forward”.

Following last week’s disappointing loss to Longford, Collins said that “there will be an end of year review by all involved and that will determine where we will go from here.

When appointed to the role of manager Collins was given a three year term and the general expectation is that he will continue and complete that term.

Seamus Hayes