Kilkenny United appoint former Longford Town under-17 manager James Dermody

Kilkenny United have appointed former Longford Town under-17s coach James Dermody as their new manager.

The UEFA A-Licenced coach took charge of his first game on Sunday afternoon as Kilkenny held Cork City to a 1-1 draw in Thomastown – their second point on the bounce.

Stephen Gray was in charge of the previous week's 1-1 draw at DLR Waves - their first of the season - following the resignation of Kane Lynch.

Longford native Dermody has been in charge of Longford’s under-17 side for the past three years as well as Maynooth University’s freshman side.

“It’s the next step for me in my progression and, for me, it’s the right time to make that move so I’m really looking forward to it,” he told the club’s media team.

 “For me, it’s all about trying to play football. I like to get the ball down – it’s the way I’ve always wanted to play and how I want the girls to play.

“It’ll take time to implement stuff like that but that’s the way I want to be. It’s key that you implement a philosophy within the club.

“The club wants to play football and get the ball down and play through the thirds, so it’s all about improving the technical side of the game. That will back up the tactical side.”