BBC SPORT | N Ireland | Donegal search almost over

New Donegal GAA chairman Brian McEniff has said that the county will have a football manager in place within a week.

McEniff told the BBC that the new manager would be a "Donegal man".

With Martin McHugh continuing to rule himself out of contention for the job, Glencolmcille man Michael Oliver McIntyre is the front-runner.

McIntyre served as part of the backroom team of previous manager Mickey Moran who stood down in September and he also worked alongside Declan Bonner in the late 1990s.

It has also been speculated that Michael McGeehan will link up with McIntyre.

There are divisions which were reflected even in my vote

Brian McEniff

McGeehan was part of John Maughan's backroom team when the Mayo man was in charge of Fermanagh.

"We'll have a senior manager in place by the weekend and it will be a Donegal man," said McEniff on Monday, a day after being installed as the new Donegal chairman.

Prior to the appointment of the new manager, the Donegal squad will have its first training session since the All-Ireland Quarter-Final replay defeat by Dublin.

"The players will assemble on Wednesday at 7pm in McCumhaill Park for a training session and a practice match against the U21s will take place on Saturday," added McEniff.

Danny Harkin was the controversial previous Donegal chairman
Danny Harkin: Defeated by McEniff

The Donegal squad will travel to the Canary Islands early in the new year for a week-long break prior to the McKenna Cup tie against Cavan on 12 January.

The new Donegal chairman acknowledged that one of his most important tasks will be to attempt to heal the divisions which have rocked Donegal GAA in recent months.

"That's probably why I was asked to go forward so that I might be able to unite the county.

"There are divisions which were reflected even in my vote".

McEniff won the election 85-50 which was a closer margin than most pundits expected with outgoing chairman Danny Harkin winning support from 16 of the county's 40 clubs.

"The clubs have not been happy with the way people have been conducting our affairs," added the new chairman.


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