Liam Austin, 39, has been appointed to the vacant manager's position in Cavan. Last night's county board meeting unanimously endorsed the former Down midfielder for the job. "We feel he'll be able to do a good job and he was very anxious to be involved at county level," said county secretary Gerry Soden after the meeting.

Austin, from Rostrevor, had a lengthy senior playing career spanning 15 years, from 1978-92, during which time he won three Ulster medals, 1978, '81 and '91, an NFL medal in 1983 when he was also awarded an All Star and an All-Ireland medal when he came on as a substitute in the success against Meath in 1991. He has also been an articulate football analyst with BBC Northern Ireland.

Although this will be his first inter-county management role, Austin will not differ in that respect from his predecessor Martin McHugh, who led Cavan to a first Ulster title in 28 years last July. The task facing the new manager is steep with Cavan rooted to the bottom of Section C of the NFL and in real danger of plummeting from Division One status last season to Division Four when the League is redrawn at the end of the current campaign.