Former Louth manager Colin Kelly resigns as Westmeath boss

Former Louth manager and player Colin Kelly has resigned as manager of the Westmeath senior footballers after just one season at the helm.

The Drogheda man's final match in charge saw the Midlanders exit the qualifiers at the hands of Armagh on Saturday evening, just a fortnight after Laois dumped them out of the Leinster Championship in Tullamore.

Kelly led Westmeath to the O'Byrne Cup final and to Division Three safety earlier this season, however, after a June exit in the championship, it was announced that he would be stepping aside.

In a statement this evening, Kelly said: "It’s a massive commitment for me; I’ve a young girl and boy playing soccer and Gaelic in Dublin. Today I was at soccer in Wicklow and I came straight to here. That’s not an excuse; I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve a great relationship with Billy Foley and Pat Reilly (chairman and secretary of the County Board) and I’ve made some great friends among the players.

“We’ve had some fun along the way and maybe it’s time for a Westmeath man to take it on.”

Kelly departed the Louth hot-seat last summer after three seasons, during which time he led the Wee County to two successive league promotions.