After going 149 days without a senior football manager the Sligo county board last night ratified Pat Flanagan to take over for 2014 – who himself vacated the Westmeath position at the end of the summer.

Flanagan brings a good record to the job, taking Westmeath from division three to division one in three years, and also winning county championships with Tyrellspass and Clara, although he found himself unwanted in his native county at the end of this summer, partly on the back of a heavy defeat to Dublin.

So he takes over the Sligo reins which had been held by former Galway player Kevin Walsh for the last four years.

Survivors
Tyrone will head into the new season with just three survivors from their breakthrough All-Ireland success of 10 years ago but as if to somehow strengthen that link manager Mickey Harte has appointed Seán Cavanagh as his captain.

With long-serving goalkeeper Pascal McConnell announcing his retirement Harte has just Cavanagh, Conor Gormley and Stephen O’Neill remaining from the 2003 team.

Despite speculation it does now appear both Gormley and O’Neill will continue for at least another year.

Cavanagh takes over from O’Neill, captain for the last two years, and the midfielder was always likely to be one of Harte’s preferred choices after enjoying such a good 2013, for which he recently picked up his fifth All-Star award.

Cavanagh’s appointment is in line with Harte’s policy of handing the role to players of experience: with the exception of the late Cormac McAnallen, in 2004, the captaincy has been awarded to players over 30, with Cavanagh the fifth over of Harte’s 12-year tenure.

McConnell, meanwhile, was a substitute in that breakthrough All-Ireland win in 2003, before taking up the number one position for both the 2005 and 2008 All-Ireland victories over Kerry. He lost his place to Niall Morgan earlier this year, only to regain it after Morgan suffered a season-ending injury in June – although Morgan was always expected to resume for 2014.

Transfer
It has also been announced that former Tyrone underage star Conal McCullagh has joined the Tipperary senior football panel for the 2014 campaign. McCullagh, 25, completed a club transfer from Glenelly to Clonmel Commercials last September, and now joins the squad of Tipperary manager Peter Creedon.

McCullagh played both minor and under-21 football for Tyrone, mainly as a half forward. Creedon has also secured the services of athletics coach Hayley Harrison, who will assist with the team’s strength and conditioning.