Kevin Martin's reign as Offaly senior hurling boss has come to an end with the county confirming the manager's departure tonight.

Offaly's 13-point defeat to Westmeath in the Joe McDonagh Cup last Saturday was the tipping point and Martin will not take charge of their remaining games this year.

The Westmeath loss came a week after falling to Laois in the opening round, and Offaly now face a battle to avoid relegation to the Christy Ring Cup.

Joachim Kelly has been appointed as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign, with Offaly GAA chiefs describing survival in hurling’s second tier as "essential". The long-faltering Faithful were relegated from the Liam MacCarthy last summer and now face the doomsday prospect of back-to-back demotions.

A county board statement tonight confirmed: “Following on from an Offaly GAA management committee meeting tonight, Kevin Martin and his management team have been replaced as the current senior hurling management with immediate effect.

"The committee would like to thank Kevin and his team for their commitment and effort over the last two years."

The statement added: "Survival in the Joe McDonagh Cup competition in 2019 is essential for the long-term development of hurling in the county.

"To this end Joachim Kelly has been appointed by the management committee as interim manager to the end of this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup competition. We wish Joachim and his team the best of luck in the upcoming games."

Online Editors