Mathews' position as Athlone boss "untenable"

 

News of Mathews' departure from Athlone first broke on Thursday, with the 50 year old also since confirming that up to “seven or eight players” have requested their release from the club. With top scorer Marco Chindea among those to have left already, things are looking bleak for the Midlanders.

 

League of Ireland action returns this Friday following a three-week break and Athlone are due to host Cobh Ramblers in Lissywollen. However, with little signs of improvement behind the scenes, according to Mathews, since the club's inability to field a team for the away trip to Waterford on June 3rd, questions will be asked of the viability of Friday's game.

 

Mathews spoke extensively about his decision to leave Athlone in an interview with John Lynch on Shannonside Northern Sound's Saturday Sport show.

 

“It's been difficult, particularly of late, and I just made the call that, in light of what's gone on recently and with no prospect of change really in the immediate future, my position was untenable,” Mathews told Lynch of Shannonside Northern Sound. 

 

“And I think as we tried to get back to see if we could get a team ready to play next week against Cobh, and as I say, with no real movement happening behind the scenes, I just felt it wasn't possible for me to continue working with the club.”

 

The FAI fined Athlone €5,000 for their failure to fulfil the fixture against Waterford, but €4,000 of that was suspended on the condition that they didn't fail to fulfil another competitive game this month – of which they only have one, against Cobh. Given the club is now without a manager and with senior players seeking to leave, those at Athlone will be fearful as Friday approaches.

 

Peter McLoone, ex-chairman of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' Public Services Committee, has since been appointed by the FAI to conduct an “interim independent review into the situation” at the club. Mathews is hopeful a “workable” resolution can be found, but added that the structure in place at Athlone needs a complete overhaul.

 

“I think it's going to become very, very apparent that it needs radical change and it needs to be structured in a completely different way,” Mathews told Lynch. “I think the FAI will come up with their own report but I think...you look at a situation where there's more people outside the ground for the last couple of weeks than there have been coming into the ground. That tells its own story, you know, that tells its own story.

 

“It's not about money for a lot of people, if it was there would be people gone out of the club last year and would have been gone out of the club a long time ago,” added Mathews. “So as I say, it's not about money, it's about trying to do things in a proper and upfront manner, treating people with respect and dignity.

 

“The club is bigger than everybody and anybody, I just hope that it's resolved,” Mathews continued. “I know there are people perhaps looking to maybe step in and see if they can take the club forward. [I hope] that everybody who has a part to play in the well being of the club are listened to and it's resolved because nobody wants to see a club with the history of Athlone Town being put out of the league.”