Glenavon Appoints Paddy McLaughlin as New Manager

Glenavon has appointed Paddy McLaughlin as its new manager, following the departure of Stephen McDonnell. McLaughlin’s most recent role in the Irish Premiership was as manager of Cliftonville. McDonnell’s exit from the club occurred after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by Dungannon Swifts, which marked the team’s third consecutive loss. McLaughlin has been appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal and will assume his duties for Glenavon’s Mid-Ulster Cup semi-final at the Swifts on Tuesday. Glenavon chairman Glenn Emerson stated, “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.” Emerson added that the club “made contact immediately” with McLaughlin, who was “more than happy” to become manager. The Lurgan Blues, as Glenavon is known, are currently 11th in the Irish Premiership table, maintaining a four-point lead over bottom-placed Loughgall. The team also exited the League Cup after a defeat by Championship side Armagh City. McLaughlin’s most recent position was as assistant manager to Ruaidhri Higgins at Derry City. He had taken on that role in April 2023, after leaving his post as Cliftonville manager following a successful period with the Reds. The 45-year-old secured the League Cup and County Antrim Shield with Cliftonville, and in the 2021-22 Irish Premiership season, his team finished just one point behind winners Linfield. McLaughlin departed from his role with Derry in February, less than a year into a two-and-a-half-year contract with the League of Ireland outfit. Emerson further elaborated, “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. We feel that appointing Paddy, who was the standout candidate, and giving him a contract for the length we have achieves both objectives.”