CLANCY LEARNS FROM HARD LESSONS TO REBUILD MANAGERIAL CAREER
The news that Timmy Clancy has been given a new two-year contract as manager of Cork City is hardly surprising considering the impressive job of work the Trim man had done at Turner's Cross.
Clancy signed the contract this week to continue his journey with City who are on the verge of sealing the First Division title - and a return to the top flight.
He only became manager last November following spells in charge of Drogheda Utd and St Patrick's Athletic but didn't waste much time in making his mark.
Let go by St Pat's in May 2023 it might have been expected that Clancy would struggle to find a new club but that didn't prove to be the case - and once installed at Turner's Cross the team's form started to improve.
Clancy has clocked up a hugely impressive record with Cork City. At the time of writing he has won 19 out of his 29 games in charge, losing just once.
His team sits on a 16-point lead with only a handful of games remaining. The Cork City supporters can starting popping the champagne if they haven't already done so.
After carving out a professional career as a player particularly in Scotland with teams such as Kilmarnock, Hibernian, Motherwell and St Johnstone, Clancy returned to Ireland bringing with him a huge amount of experience of the game he had picked up along the way.
He had brief spells with Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers before turning to management with Drogheda Utd - and what he did with that club was nothing short of remarkable.
When he took charge the club in 2017 had hardly any players and little money. He constructed a team good enough to win the First Division title in 2020 after going close before that. He managed Drogheda while working nights in a warehouse.
With St Pat's he guided the team to a 1-0 victory away over CSKA Sofia in the Europa Conference League however the Bulgarians won the second-leg 2-0 with the help of a controversial penalty.
Despite such encouraging displays some St Pat's supporters called for Clancy's sacking after a run of mixed form. When he left the team was seventh in the Premier table.
Clancy will have learned from his turbulent days at Inchicore and he has taken those lessons and used them to help turn Cork City into a team going upwards and ever onwards.