Billy O'Loughlin has resigned as Longford senior football manager after just one season in the role.
The Laois man was appointed last November after a lengthy recruitment process and the highlight was keeping Longford in Division Three at the expense of his native county in a final round shootout in Portlaoise.
Longford subsequently lost to Westmeath in the Leinster Championship before bowing out of the Tailteann Cup with a defeat to Fermanagh.
O’Loughlin cited work commitments in the US as the reason behind his decision, which he said was made with a “heavy heart”.
"Due to my work commitments in the States over the past few months, and into the autumn, I am no longer in a position to give the role my undivided attention,” he said.
"Retaining Division 3 status was our first main objective and with the introduction of so many new, young and talented players to the senior panel and with wins against Westmeath and Laois along the way we managed to achieve this.
"I have every confidence that these young players will build on the great work that was done in 2022. I hope that the progress we made can be added to by the new management team and I wish them every success for 2023."
In a statement, the Longford county board credited O’Loughlin for bringing “a new level of professionalism”.
"Over his short tenure, Billy gave many young players their first foray at senior inter-county level and he can take pride in the fact that he has successfully moulded a number of these players to senior ranks from where they will become leaders of future teams,” the statement added.
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