Skip to content

Antrim and Waterford senior football managers Lenny Harbinson and Benji Whelan step down

Lenny Harbinson took charge of Antrim ahead of the 2018 season; under his watch, the Ulster side won just one championship game, a 2019 qualifier away to Louth. Benji Whelan was at the helm in Waterford for two seasons.

Lenny Harbinson
Image: Lenny Harbinson becomes the fourth intercounty managerial departure of 2020, following Turlough O'Brien (Carlow), Paul Galvin (Wexford) and Wayne Kierans (Louth)

The Antrim footballers are on the lookout for a new manager, after it emerged Lenny Harbinson will not be seeking a fourth year at the helm.

The Saffrons' 2020 campaign came to an end on Saturday, as they fell to Cavan in the Ulster Championship quarter-final. The loss to the Breffni County followed the National League campaign in which they narrowly missed out on promotion.

"Lenny Harbinson informed Antrim county board today that he did not wish to extend his three-year contract as Antrim Senior Football manager," read a statement on Tuesday morning.

"Lenny has been a good servant of Antrim GAA both as a player and a manager. We would like to put on record our gratitude to Lenny and his management team for all the hard work put in over the last three years with Antrim Senior Football squad. We wish them all the best in the future."

Antrim
Image: Antrim have not won an Ulster Championship match since 2014

Meanwhile, Waterford boss Benji Whelan also stepped aside. Whelan's last game was the Munster quarter-final defeat to Limerick. The Déise's county board confirmed he will not be seeking a third season in charge. The Suir-siders failed to win a championship game under his watch.

Benji Whelan
Image: Whelan succeeded Tom McGlinchey after 2018

Elsewhere, Leitrim GAA confirmed that Terry Hyland will remain in charge of their senior footballers for another year. The Cavan native guided them to league promotion in 2019, but they will return to Division 4 after this year's relegation.

Also See:

Watch Inside The Game, our weekly GAA discussion show, every Wednesday evening on Sky Sports Mix. You can catch up on previous episodes on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.