Kearney appointed manager of Ballymena United

Oran Kearney has been appointed as the new manager of Ballymena United.

Kearney takes over from interim boss Ciaran Caldwell and will be joined by former Cliftonville midfielder Barry Johnston as his assistant, with Michael Doherty arriving as goalkeeping coach.

Jim Ervin departed as manager last Sunday following an up and down run of results, with the Braidmen since defeating Larne in the BetMcLean Cup but lost to 2-1 at home to Dungannon Swifts on Saturday in the Premiership where they currently occupy ninth place.

The 47-year-old is a former player at the club, making 121 appearances and scoring 34 goals between 2002 and 2005.

"I'm very excited, it's been a whirlwind week," he told Ballymena United's website.

"There's a real urgency to want to do well and a desire for success. It'll be a challenge, but I think this club has the infrastructure, the fan base and a lot of good things going for it.

"We will look to develop a relationship with the players and try and put my stamp on things as soon as possible. Everybody starts on a clean slate, it's up to players to impress in training to get into the team and move us forward.

"I had an enjoyable time here as a player and in recent days a lot of those emotions have come back from my time playing here. I urge the fans to get behind me and the players and push us on for this second half of the season."

Since retiring as a player, Kearney has enjoyed a successful managerial career, winning the 2018 Irish Cup and 2020 League Cup during two spells with Coleraine which sandwiched a brief stint with Scottish club St Mirren.

He stepped down as manager in 2024 to assume the role of sporting director, but left that position earlier this year.

Kearney's first game in charge will be Saturday's trip to Portadown before his first home game the following week against Carrick Rangers.