Roscommon chairman Seamus Sweeney has admitted that the Kevin McStay-Fergal O'Donnell partnership was a failed exercise.

Sweeney, along with county secretary Brian Carroll, met with the outgoing joint-managers for an end-of-season review earlier this month, after which O'Donnell and selectors Stephen Bohan and David Casey vacated their roles. Addressing delegates at last Monday night's county board meeting, the chairman revealed how McStay and O'Donnell had met beforehand and had agreed that the partnership wasn't working.

The Roscommon People quoted Sweeney as saying: "We spoke with Kevin and Fergal the week after the match against Clare and we agreed that we would carry out a review. We issued the two managers with a questionnaire containing 13 questions about what happened during the year and we also sent a shorter questionnaire to the players.

"A total of 17 players out of 37 replied initially and after an intense follow-up that number was raised to 24. I have to say that the review was very balanced and an interesting exercise.

"On last Tuesday (September 6) the management committee of the county board representatives - myself and Brian Carroll - met with Fergal O'Donnell and Kevin McStay and they both indicated that the joint management situation had not worked and was not going to work. In fact, I have to say that Fergal O'Donnell was very agitated, upset and angry at that meeting, but he was adamant that he was going to step down along with David Casey and Stephen Bohan."

He added: "When that happened we had no option but to allow the clubs to decide on a new management for 2017. We agreed to a joint-manager arrangement in 2016 and now that was broken up we have to go back to the clubs for their approval."

Nominations for the vacancy have to be with the county board by next Wednesday, September 21 with the outgoing McStay set to face competition from former U21 manager Nigel Dineen.

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