Bohs part ways with manager Keith Long

Dublin club has lost 10 out of 27 league games this season

Bohemian FC have parted ways with Keith Long. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Bohemian FC have parted ways with Keith Long. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho

Following a miserable run of results in August, Bohemians have parted company with manager Keith Long.

“The board of Bohemian FC wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for Keith’s dedication, loyalty and success during his time at the club,” read the club’s statement. “When Keith joined Bohemians in October 2014, he joined a club that had a multi-million euro debt and its future existence very much under threat. Thanks in no small part to his dedication, Bohemian FC is a very different place to the club he joined nearly eight years ago.”

Bohs lie sixth in the League of Ireland premier division, five points behind Sligo Rovers, and three defeats from the last four matches promoted the Phibsborough club to appoint Trevor Croly and Derek Pender as co-managers, on an interim basis, ahead of Friday’s Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park.

“Keith showed a loyalty to our club that is rare in football, and he can call himself a true Bohemian,” the statement added. “He embodies the values of our club and has represented it impeccably throughout his time here.

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“As well as the many great nights he delivered over his time in charge, the contribution that he has made in working with the club to build structures and lay foundations for future success cannot be overstated. It is with regret that league results this season have fallen short of his aspirations and most committed of efforts.”

Long is the second managerial dismissal in the league this season, after Sligo cut ties with Liam Buckley in May.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent