Richardson to take over at Cork helm - Evening Echo
Damien Richardson will be unveiled as the new team manager of Cork City FC at a press conference in Cork on Friday, according to a report in today's Evening Echo.
The Dubliner and former Gillingham, Cork, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne boss will be appointed to the Turner’s Cross hot-seat as successor to Pat Dolan this weekend.
Dolan was relieved of his duties after taking a training session last night and that announcement was followed by a lengthy players’ meeting with chairman Brian Lennox and his management team at the Rochestown Park hotel on the Rochestown Road in Cork.
Dolan had a year of his contract to run and his dismissal could mean the club have to pay him a year’s salary of 70,000.
Cork have a match against Limerick at Garryduff tomorrow at 4pm, but they have pulled out of a friendly game away to Cliftonville in Belfast on Saturday afternoon.
Ashton assumes the role today and will take charge of the team for tomorrow’s friendly against Limerick at Garryduff (4pm) if the game goes ahead as scheduled.
“What last night’s meeting with the players confirmed for me was that I did not know an awful lot about what was going on and the information was not coming through to me,” said the City chairman.
“So because of that it was nice for me to get the chance to talk to the players last night. They put the record straight on some of their issues and I totally stand behind what they had to say last night.
“We know the need for training facilities and we are working towards resolving it now,” said Lennox.
“The players were promised last night that I will personally look after the provision of a suitable training base. It’s not going to change overnight but, yes we will move on this issue.
Lennox said that the priority now was the appointment of a new manager and he stressed that he would be talking to candidates “straight away” as a matter of urgency.
He has three possible candidates in mind and feels confident of making an appointment very, very soon.
The shortlist, presumably, includes former City manager Damien Richardson as first choice but others likely to figure could be ex-players Dave Hill, John Caulfield, Alan Reynolds and the interim man in charge today, Stuart Ashton, who could yet be an internal promotion.
