Soccer:Seán McCaffrey is no longer Dundalk manager after he and club parted company by mutual consent this afternoon.

The well publicised financial difficulties, which threaten the future of the club, were highlighted as the main contributory factor behind the decision.

In a statement from the club this evening, McCaffrey said: "Many of my plans and initiatives unfortunately could not be realised at the club in an appropriate timeframe and due to this I feel is it best we go our separate ways.

“I would like to thank all the players, coaching and administration staff for their efforts and cooperation during my time at the club and I wish them all the best for the rest of the season.”

The club admitted: “The unprecedented financial times have added significant pressures on the club and have curtailed many of the ambitious plans Seán had for Dundalk FC. We would like to thank Seán and wish him well in his future career.

Assistant manager Darius Kearns will take “temporary charge” of the team ahead of tomorrow’s league meeting with Shamrock Rovers.