Inside Track: Devlin far from a surprise choice as new county team boss

It was one of Louth football’s worst-kept secrets: Gavin Devlin to be the new county team manager. And also talk of the fish market was that he’d have Peter Dooley as part of his management team.

News of the impending appointments came this way a number of weeks ago. Now that they have been confirmed, the lads getting a stamp of approval at a special County Board meeting on Tuesday of last week, sights turn to the 2026 season, the league and, in particular, the championship.

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Fergal Reel had come in for mention. Indeed, the opinion among many was that Ger Brennan would take over from Dessie Farrell in his native county, and would be succeeded here by Reel.

With a hugely successful stint in Louth club football, registering five senior championship wins, Reel’s first taste of inter-county had him leading the under-20s to a Leinster final last year, and then going one better twelve months later by taking the title. After that there was an appearance in the All-Ireland final, a Louth team’s first-ever in the grade.

The certainty is that the Silverbridge native will have a third year with the underage side. And the chances of him replicating this year’s effort must be good since there could be up to 11 of the 2025 team available.

The choice of Gavin Devlin doesn’t come as a surprise, nor does it lack popularity. He was one of the frontrunners once Brennan said he wouldn’t be continuing, and being anything but a stranger in these parts, has a firm knowledge of players and the Darver training ground.

His first involvement here was as assistant to Mickey Harte, the all-Tyrone partnership taking over of the running of the senior squad in late 2019. More than just acting as assistant, Devlin had charge of training, his programme said to be very popular with the players.

Indeed, his regime was in focus this year, complaints being that the current one wouldn’t compare with the one it succeeded.

There could have been a change of mind in the meantime, since the work carried out in Darver this year was of sufficient quality to help the team retain Division Two league status and then bring the Leinster title to the county for the first time in nearly seven decades.

There was more gnashing of teeth than weeping when Harte and Devlin suddenly took off to Derry, less than two years ago. Because they had asked for, and were granted, a fourth year in charge, their departure left a bitter taste.

Their stay kicking on oak leaves didn’t last long, even though it yielded a league win. After that they parted company having been years in unison in three different counties.

Harte moved on the Offaly, where he is still ensconced as assistant-manager, and Devlin, on the invitation of fellow Tyroneman, County Board chairman, Seán McClean, returned here to oversee the development of underage football.

He helped with the running of the minor team, working with manager, Jonny Clerkin, and his sideline team. It was an association that almost brought a third provincial title to the county this year, and there was another near miss in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Prior to getting involved in coaching, Devlin had a hugely successful career on the playing field, the pinnacle of which was lining out for his native county in the 2003 All-Ireland final.

Playing at No 6, flanked by Ciarán Gormley and Philip Jordan, the Ardboe clubman was a pivotal in Tyrone’s defeat of the holders, Armagh, in the first all-Ulster final.

Devlin has a hard act to follow, taking over from a championship-winning manager. Someone likened it to David Moyes replacing Alex Ferguson, or maybe Wilf McGuinness – and then former Republic of Ireland international,Frank O’Farrell – filling the hot seat vacated by another legendary Manchaster United manager, Matt Busby, many years ago.

Whisper it, it didn’t work out for Moyes, while after taking over from interim manager McGuinness, O’Farrell couldn’t find a way out from under the giant shadow cast by his illustrious predecessor, who, though he had been moved upstairs in Old Trafford, still wanted to have an influence on on-field matters.

Gavin Devlin will have no such concerns. It’s his gig, and his alone. He will, of course, have assistance, and in Peter Dooley as his second in command he has made a popular choice.

The Hunterstown Rovers clubman was part of Ger Brennan’s team, and is said to have been a calming influence whenever problems arose in the camp. Many others are expected to be added to the management team.

Though in will be a month into the New Year before the red jerseys will again be seen out, there’ll be training get-togethers long before then. Quite obviously, a close look will be kept on club football, now that the championship season is shortly to take off.