Fitzpatrick ‘shocked and heartbroken’ as Mickey Harte steps down as Louth manager
‘I didn’t see it coming’ admitted Louth GAA County Chairman, Peter Fitzpatrick who was left reeling when now former Louth GAA manager Mickey Harte informed him on Monday morning that he had decided to leave Louth to take up a three year term with Ulster champions Derry.
Harte along with his trusty assistant team coach Gavin Devlin made the decision to join Derry with the 71 year old Tyrone native explaining to Fitzpatrick that he wanted one last ctack at winning an All Ireland Championship.
“Mickey rang me at 8pm on Sunday evening and asked could we meet up. I met him and Gavin in the Crowne Plaza on Monday morning at 10am and they told me that they had decided to leave Louth with immediate effect and he was leaving to take over the Derry footballers. I was shocked and hgely disappointed to be honest. I didn’t see it coming at all.
“Mickey explained to me that he found the decision a very hard one to make and that he couldn’t sleep during the week thinking about it. He told me that he would absolutely love to win one more All-Ireland before he retires and that he felt his best chance of doing that was with Derry.
“Mickey and Gavin have been a breath of fresh air since they arrived here in 2020 and what they’ve done for Louth football will never be forgotten. They brought us from division 4 to division two where we were very competitive last season and they got us to a Leinster Final which was our first one in 13 years.
“We were very excited with where they could take us and we were planning a full assault on getting up to division one next season. The players were given strength and conditioning programmes to work on during the off season and they were very determined to make more progress next year. I called a meeting in Darver on Monday evening to tell the board and the players that Mickey and Gavin had stepped down and there was a lot of heads bowed from the players who were devastated to hear the news.
“Unfortunately we just have to move on with a heavy heart and do everything we can to make sure we get the right manager in to continue the great work that Mickey and Gavin have done over the last three years. We have to keep up the legacy of what they have achieved to date. I will leave no stone unturned to make sure we get the right man in and it is hugely important we don’t panic and explore all options. To be honest the timing of this is not great as we are very busy with the championship in full swing and players due to return to training with Louth in November. But they are the cards that have been dealt and we must work hard as a committee to make sure we get the right person in to keep pushing Louth football forward.
A statement from Louth GAA confirmed the news while thanking Mickey and Gavin for their professionalism
“Louth GAA Management Committee would like to sincerely thank Mickey, Gavin and his backroom team for their efforts in propelling Louth Senior Footballers into Div. 2 football from Div. 4 in 2020. They have shown professionalism, enthusiasm, dedication and continued courtesy over the last three years and we have enjoyed a positive working relationship with Mickey and his Management Team which concluded in the group stages of the All-Ireland following a first Leinster Final Appearance since 2010.
“Louth GAA would like to wish Mickey, Gavin and his Management Team all the best in their future endeavours.
“We will now immediately begin the process in seeking a New Senior Football Team Manager,” concluded the statement.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick gave a positive update on the proposed new stadium development in Dundalk with the Louth GAA chairman stating that everybody is now singing off the same hymn sheet with regards to the project.
“Things are progressing well. We’ve had five meetings in the last number of weeks with Croke Park and we are all singing off the same hymn sheet. The stadium is going ahead and we are all working as hard as we can to make sure that happens as quickly as possible,” he added.