Aidan O’Brien was ratified and appointed as the new manager of the Wexford senior footballers at a meeting of the County Board tonight. A Westmeath native, but a long time Wexford resident, O’Brien is the successor to Jason Ryan who stepped down last month after five years in charge.
Following an extensive trawl and interview process, O’Brien was recommended for the post by the football advisory committee under the chairmanship of Seamus Fitzhenry . O’Brien is highly regarded both within and outside the county and comes to the job with an admirable managerial track record both at club and county level. Most notably he guided Wexford to underage success bringing Good Counsel College to an All-Ireland Colleges title in 1999 and the Wexford Under-21 footballers to a Leinster final in 2008, losing out to a strong Kildare side.
At club level, he took Adamstown from junior to senior in three successive seasons, helped Horeswood to two county titles in-a-row managed and won a county junior title as coach of Geraldine O’Hanrahans of New Ross in 2011.
O’Brien is deputy principal of Good Counsel in New Ross and is a married father of four children.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, O’Brien said:
“It took a degree of soul searching and had to be weighed up in terms of the personal toll it would take too. But another part of me said it would be a challenge to get involved and I’m honoured to be considered and honoured to feel people thought I could contribute something….so the plan is to meet the players by the end of [next] week and introduce myself and my plans.”
“I hope all lads stay on and maybe we can look at emerging talent. The door is open to everyone and I haven’t made any prejudgement. It’s very much an open door policy.”
Looking towards the Leinster championship where Wexford will face the winners of Laois and Louth in the quarter-final he is taking nothing for granted, he told the Irish Examiner:
“In our position we’re not a Kerry or Cork who will almost be certainly meeting in a Munster final. There is no such thing as an easy draw for us. I was at the Longford first round game last year and we were lucky to come out of it with a win and then the next day we could have taken out Dublin. Teams like ourselves can’t take anyone for granted but other teams can’t take us for granted either.”
O’Brien has been appointed on an expenses only basis, in line with the GAA’s amateur rules and will choose his own selectors and backroom team.
This really does mark a new chapter in the story of Wexford football and in O’Brien we have a man who can help us deliver on the undoubted potential that lies in this team and within the county.
