Séamus McEnaney has stepped down as manager of the Meath senior football team.
There had been rumours about his departure this evening, which were confirmed by a tweet from the official @MeathGAA twitter account shortly after 8pm.
‘Banty’ endured a turbulent tenure as the Royals’ boss, and there was an attempt to oust him after relegation to Allianz NFL Division 3 in the spring.
The Co Monaghan native survived that putsch, and his charges enjoyed a fruitful Leinster campaign which saw them reach the provincial decider.
That was good as it got for them, however, as they fell to a three-point defeat to Dublin in the Leinster final, and then lost by three points again against Laois six days later in the fourth round of the All-Ireland qualifiers.
“I won’t delay in making my decision; my decision will be made in the next four or five days,” McEnaney told RTÉ’s Ger Canning in the aftermath of the loss to Laois in Tullamore on Saturday.
He made good on that promise this evening, and his decision will heighten speculation around a possible return to manage Monaghan.
McEnaney spent six years in charge of the Farney County, who are looking for a new boss following the departure of Eamonn McEneaney.
In a statement released tonight, McEnaney said: "To whom it may concern, I am stepping down as Meath senior football team manager with immediate effect.
He added: "I want to thank my management team and the Meath players for their huge effort, commitment and loyalty they have given me over the past two years.
"I want to thank the Meath County Board, the Meath supporters and everyone involved in the GAA in County Meath."
