New Mayo manager James Horan has confirmed that his former county colleague James Nallen will be part of his backroom team.

The 38-year-old, who pipped former Dublin manager Tommy Lyons for the job following a late swell of support, was ratified last night along with selectors Martin Connolly, Paul Jordan, Tom Prendergast and Nallen. A former Mayo footballer, Connolly is current joint-manager of Westport, Jordan previously managed Castlebar Mitchels, while Nallen was a regular at centre back for Mayo over many years, playing in the All-Ireland finals losses of 1996, '97, 2004 and '06.

Horan, who last weekend guided Ballintubber to a surprise Mayo SFC final showdown against Castlebar Mitchels, said he was looking forward to the challenge of reviving the Connacht county's fortunes in the coming season.

"I'll give it everything I have," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge. I'm honoured that people have placed so much trust in me to be the next Mayo manager. I can't wait to get started.

"Mayo is full of good footballers and I think our management set-up can bring something. I think we can set an environment where players, if they went, if they have the right attitude, and the right character, can flourish. That's what we're about.

"We want to bring some sense and some structure and, I know it's an overused phrase, but we want to restore a bit of pride into the whole thing." Tweet

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