Roddy Collins moves upstairs as Aaron Callaghan joins new management set-up at Athlone Town

Athlone Town have announced a new management structure for 2018 with Roddy Collins taking on the general manager role and Aaron Callaghan installed as first team coach.

Terry Butler has been appointed assistant coach as the midlands club look to shake things up after a turbulent season that was marred by the banning of three players for betting offences.

Callaghan is an experienced coach at League of Ireland level, having managed Longford Town, Bohemians and UCD as well as Crusaders and Carrick Rangers in Northern Ireland.

He was assistant manager to Collins while the new general manager was in charge at Waterford United before the pair were let go towards the end of the 2016 season.

The 51-year-old played for Stoke City, Oldham Athletic, Crewe Alexandra and Preston North End during a ten-year playing career in the UK.

He returned to Ireland in 1994 and signed for Shelbourne, and would have spells with St Patrick's Athletic, Dundalk and St Patrick's Athletic and was both a player and player-manager at Crusaders.

The Dublin native was most recently in charge of Carrick in the Northern Irish top flight before resigning having steered the club to a relegation play-off.

Collins took over the reins at Athlone for a second time midway through last season following the departure of Colin Fortune, Ricardo Monsanto and Ricardo Flores.

The Dubliner led Athlone to the First Division title in 2013 before departing in the off-season after a disagreement over how to take the club forward, subsequently taking on the Derry City job.

Athlone finished rock bottom of the First Division in 2016 after failing to win any of Collins' games in charge, earning just three points from their final 17 matches.

Goalkeeper Igors Labuts and midfielder Dragos Sfrijan were banned from all football activities for 12 months after being found guilty of match-fixing – charges they continue to dispute.

Striker Jason Lyons was subsequently banned for seven games for betting offences but was not accused of trying to influence the outcome of any of those matches.