National League: After an ill-judged flirtation with reality TV during his time at Carlisle and a brief and best-forgotten crack at celebrity chefdom upon his return home, Roddy Collins was back doing what he knows best yesterday following his appointment as manager of Dublin City, writes Emmet Malone

The 43-year-old Dubliner, who has been out of the game since being dismissed by Carlisle United just short of a year ago, has been linked with just about every vacancy in the game here during recent months, but his opportunity finally came over the weekend when John Gill decided to resign from the City job in the wake of their FAI Cup defeat to Monaghan United.

He will be assisted in his new job by former Bohemians star and Dundalk manager Terry Eviston, who was previously on the coaching staff at Dalymount Park while Collins was in charge there.

It was a highly successful period for the Dublin club; they won the double for the first time in 75 years under Collins. His management style was controversial to say the least, however, and when negotiations on a new contract proved difficult a decision was taken to replace him within weeks of his triumph.

Collins had initially been given the Bohemians job when they were languishing at the wrong end of the table but he steered the team clear of automatic relegation and then guided them to a play-off win over Cobh Ramblers.

At City his task looks more difficult but Collins insisted yesterday that all would be well with the northside outfit, who are currently five points adrift at the foot of the Premier Division.

"This is a massive challenge," he said, "but in the three clubs I've been at I've been involved in around 160 relegation battles, so this is nothing new to me. To tell you the truth if the club had been mid-table it wouldn't have had the same type of appeal. I like a challenge and I'm delighted to say 'The Rod is back'."

The club's chief executive, Ronan Seery, also expressed a mixture of delight and confidence with the appointment.

"There were several excellent candidates who came forward," said Seery, "but in the end Roddy's enthusiasm and total belief in his ability to come in and ignite our season was pivotal in the decision to give him the position."

Collins inherits a reasonably strong squad from Gill, who is believed to have departed as a result of frustration with what he saw as a lack of commitment among a few players.

The club have played well on occasion this year and have scored as many goals as second-placed Drogheda. At the back, however, they have struggled and their record of 35 goals conceded is by far the division's worst.

The new man, needless to say, is undeterred. "Our season starts on Thursday," he says. "It's a big game but we won't get carried away and we'll have a few players to add in the coming weeks. There's only five points difference and 16 games to go, so it's not quite panic stations."

Thursday's game is against St Patrick's Athletic, who many would see as the most likely side to be caught given the club's grim financial situation.

Because of the return next year to a 12-team top flight, only one club will be relegated at the end of the season and there will be no play-off.