After a protracted process to try and replace Mickey Harte as Derry GAA football manager, reports today suggest that the County Board have a clear front-runner to take on the role.
Derry have been without a manager since Mickey Harte resigned from the role in July, after a disappointing Championship campaign in just his first season in charge of the Oak Leaf County.
Mickey Harte had been selected to take over from interim coach Ciaran Meenagh last September, following Rory Gallagher stepping down from the role after the Ulster Final.
While rumours over the last number of weeks suggested Gallagher was under consideration for the role again, confirmation that this wasn't the case last Friday appeared to leave Derry back at square one.
18 February 2024; Wicklow manager Mark Doran, for the day, during the Allianz Football League Division 3 match between Wicklow and Westmeath at Echelon Park in Aughrim, Wicklow. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
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Derry GAA narrowing in on Harte replacement
However, three months after Harte's departure, reports from Neil Loughran of the Irish News suggest that the county board are nearing the end of their search having identified Co. Down's Mark Doran as the clear frontrunner for the job.
Doran, a Co. Down native is currently managing Derry club Slaughtneil and is well-regarded for his wealth of experience in the club game, despite not having managed an intercounty side as of yet.
Having also worked under Wicklow boss Oisín McConville previously in the Garden County, Doran is understood to be extremely familiar with the club football scene in Derry, with Slaughtneil currently en route to the county semi-final.
While any announcement is unlikely to be made until Slaughtneil's club season concludes, it is now widely expected that he will lead the Oak Leaf County into the Allianz Leagues come the turn of the year.
In addition to Doran's links to the current Derry job, a busy summer for the Slaughtneil boss has seen him linked with the recently filled managerial role in Monaghan and with a high-end coaching job in Galway.
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