Francis Cummins and Eamon O'Carroll leave Widnes Vikings
Tuesday 2 October 2018 18:43, UK
Widnes have announced the departure of interim head coach Francis Cummins following their relegation from Super League.
The Vikings have also parted company with former player Eamon O'Carroll, who joined the club's coaching staff after retiring from playing last August.
The news was not unexpected as Widnes lost their place in the top division after finishing bottom of Super League and winning just one of their seven matches in the Qualifiers.
That victory over part-timers Halifax was Cummins' only success in 15 matches since he stepped into the hotseat when head coach Denis Betts was sacked at the end of May.
Widnes chief executive James Rule said: "We have begun a restructuring of our performance department as we refresh and rebuild ahead of the 2019 campaign.
"Our focus is to make an immediate return to the Betfred Super League in 2020.
"The first step in the restructuring process has been to agree the departures of coaches Francis Cummins and Eamon O'Carroll with immediate effect.
"We will now progress the process of appointing the new head coach for the 2019 season. As I have previously stated, I would like to put on record the club's thanks to Francis Cummins.
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"Francis was offered a challenging role at a difficult time when he was appointed as interim head coach and showed great bravery and commitment in stepping up into the role.
"Whilst ultimately we haven't achieved expectations on the pitch, we are grateful for his efforts and dedication."
Speaking after Sunday's 30-0 defeat at Hull KR, Cummins already seemed resigned to his fate.
"I think the plans [for next year] have probably started already," he said. "I'm sure I'll finally get to know.
"There's some memories that I will take away. We've been accused of not caring but, if you stood in a changing room full of men all crying last week, I don't really want to repeat that.
"Those sort of experiences bond you with people. I'm a coach and I want to coach but I understand the situation."
Watch the opening Super League semi-final between St Helens and Warrington on Thursday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event at 7:30pm.
