By Shaun Casey

MARK Doran was appointed as the new manager of the Antrim senior football team and former Clare manager Colm Collins, who had Doran has a member of his backroom team in 2023, believes it’s a brilliant move for the Saffron County.

Doran spent a season with Collins in the Banner County before joining Oisin McConville in Wicklow during the 2024 season. in 2025, he joined forces with Davy Burke and Roscommon, so has plenty of experience on the inter-county scene.

Doran has, of course, worked within his own county as well and was a member of the Down squad that reached the All-Ireland final in 2010, coming up short against Cork by the narrowest of margins.

“He’s an excellent coach and a really good guy with people so I think it’s a really good appointment for Antrim,” said Collins of Doran’s appointment. “We were delighted with him, he’s passionate about football and he’ll get the best out of them.

“He has massive experience at this stage. He’ll bring all of that stuff into the job now and he’s manager of Sleacht Néill of course but this is first county job, and I have no doubt whatsoever that he’ll do very well.”

Doran has a tremendous CV at both club and county level in terms of coaching, but Antrim will be the first inter-county manager’s job that Doran has held, and Collins doesn’t think the transition will be too hard.

Doran was involved with Ballybay alongside Jerome Johnston when they won the Monaghan SFC in 2022 and has been the manager of Sleacht Neill for the past two seasons, where he’ll remain until their Derry Championship campaign comes to an end.

“When you coach, you’re doing a specific job whereas a manager, you coordinate a group of professionals to do a job,” the Clare man, a member of the FRC, added. “He’s too good of a coach not to have some input into the coaching I would say.

“The important part of the new job is just to coordinate with everybody and make sure everything is working properly, and I suppose to get the best players in Antrim on the pitch.

“He does have a great personality so hopefully he’ll get all the players out and get the best team on the pitch.”

Doran, who was heavily linked with the Derry job last year after Mickey Harte’s departure, replaces the outgoing Andy McEntee.