News: Carlow's county executive was meeting late last night to consider the implications of senior football manager Andy Shortall's unexpected decision to resign from the post. Shortall handed in his resignation to the county board on Thursday night.

County officials expect an interim appointment to be made for this weekend's NFL fixture with Leitrim - either in an immediate caretaker capacity or until the end of the season.

It had been a tough week for Shortall, who has been coping with player unrest ever since he took up the post late last year.

The county's best player, Thomas Walsh, has been at the centre of a protracted transfer saga, the latest chapter of which occurred earlier this week when the Leinster Council had to send the transfer application back because of technical problems but it is expected Wicklow will complete the transfer within the next week.

This has been exacerbated by the withdrawal of three players, Simon Rea, Brian Carbery and Liam Murphy over the past two weeks. During the NFL Division Two A campaign the county has yet to register any points ahead of tomorrow's trip to Cloone.

Carlow are no strangers to managerial turbulence. Before the recent two-year term of Liam Hayes, a previous manager Mick Condon had stepped down before the championship in 2004 and although his successor Luke Dempsey was successful in winning a championship match against Longford, the appointment wasn't long-term and Dempsey moved on, ironically to Longford.

Walsh's proposed move and the poor league run have hastened Shortall's decision. - Seán Moran