Six in the running for Derry job

Nominations for the position of Derry senior football manager closed last night and six men are in contention to replace Paddy Crozier, who ended his tenure last month.

Former player and selector Damian Cassidy, wing-forward on the Derry team that won the 1993 All-Ireland SFC title, is the bookmakers' favourite to take over.

Current Derry senior hurling manager Brian McGilligan has been nominated, as has John McCloskey, the team trainer during Crozier's final season at the Oak Leafers' helm.

McGilligan has also been nominated to remain on as hurling boss.

Completing the list of senior football nominees are Banagher manager Liam Bradley, Lavey clubman John Brennan, who currently manages Tyrone club Kildress, and Tony Scullion, the 1993 All-Ireland-winning full-back.

Crozier led Derry to the National League Division 1 title this year and believes that the current Derry panel, with Sean Marty Lockhart their elder statesman at 32, could be coming into their prime.

Derry disappointed in this year's championship, losing to Fermanagh at the semi-final stage in Ulster and slipping to a one-point defeat to Monaghan in round one of the All-Ireland qualifiers.

In addition, McGilligan, Brennan, Scullion and former minor supremo Niall Conway are in the running to take over as Derry's Under-21 football manager.