Kenny: It’s time to go home

FOOTBALL’S coming home for Stephen Kenny.

The Tallaght native is expected to be confirmed imminently as the new manager of Shamrock Rovers, having notified Derry City that he is leaving the club.

Derry chairman Philip O’Doherty described how the club’s outgoing manager confirmed his intentions to him over the Christmas weekend.

O’Doherty said: “I met him on Saturday morning and his first words were, ‘It’s time to go home’. It’s very sad and Stephen was quite emotional himself. The club are very disappointed but we understand that Shamrock Rovers are his hometown club.”

O’Doherty admitted that Kenny’s departure was a “very bad Christmas present”.

The chairman revealed: “It took him a long time to make a decision and I suppose that’s testimony to how close he was to the people of Derry. But when the Michael O’Neill thing started to take place, we all suspected there would be an approach. It’s very disappointing but I can understand it too.

“If it had been any other club I would have been telling Stephen to wise up, but Shamrock Rovers are from Tallaght and it was going to be an attraction for him.”

The Derry board met on Christmas Eve to discuss Kenny’s successor and further meetings are planned this week.

Meanwhile, Kenny is likely to be confirmed as Michael O’Neill’s successor in Tallaght within the next 24 hours.