Glenavon appoint McLaughlin as new manager

Paddy McLaughlin was last in the Irish Premiership as Cliftonville manager

Glenavon have named Paddy McLaughlin as their new manager following the departure of Stephen McDonnell.

McDonnell parted company with the club after Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Dungannon Swifts, which was a third defeat in a row.

McLaughlin has been appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal and will take charge for Glenavon's Mid-Ulster Cup semi-final at the Swifts on Tuesday.

"We’re excited to see what Paddy will bring to the role and hope that the fans can see the board’s ambition to see this club much higher up the league than we currently are," said Glenavon chairman Glenn Emerson.

Emerson added that the club "made contact immediately" with McLaughlin, who was "more than happy" to become manager.

The Lurgan Blues are 11th in the Irish Premiership table, four points ahead of bottom side Loughgall.

They also exited the League Cup at the hands of Championship side Armagh City.

McLaughlin was most recently at Derry City as assistant manager to Ruaidhri Higgins.

He had taken that role after leaving his position as Cliftonville manager in April 2023 after a successful stint with the Reds.

The 45-year-old won the League Cup and County Antrim Shield with Cliftonville, and finished just one point behind winners Linfield in the 2021-22 Irish Premiership.

McLaughlin left his role with Derry in February, less than a year into a two-and-a-half year contract with the League of Ireland outfit.

"We could have made a short term appointment or asked some of coaches to fill in for the interim but the board felt it was important to make an appointment with both short and long term stability in mind," added Emerson.

"We feel that appointing Paddy, who was the standout candidate, and giving him a contract for the length we have achieves both objectives."