Former Bristol Rovers boss Graham Coughlan has been appointed at League Two Newport County for his first management role since leaving Mansfield Town at the start of the 2020/21 season.
Coughlan was named as James Rowberry’s successor on Thursday lunchtime with the Exiles struggling towards the bottom of League Two. The former Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle centre-back has signed a contract at Rodney Parade until 2025.
The 47-year-old was in charge of Rovers for 12 months, first as caretaker and then Darrell Clarke’s permanent replacement from December 2018 through to the end of 2019.
Having guided the Gas to League One safety in the 2018/19 campaign, he had led them to fourth just a few days before his shock departure to Mansfield, all-but announcing his exit in the wake of Rovers’ 2-1 win at Ipswich Town.
Coughlan blamed the distance between his family home in Sheffield and working in Bristol as a major motivating factor to swap League One for League Two, hence the lure of Mansfield being considerably closer.
His time at Mansfield proved a failure as despite one of the biggest budgets in League Two, the Dubliner was unable to mount a promotion challenge, winning just four of his 27 games in charge at Field Mill. Following his dismissal, he went on to work with Sheffield United Under-23s but left that post at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Rovers fans therefore may raise a few eyebrows at his decision to take over at Newport who are as geographically challenging as Bristol was, but ultimately having spent almost two years out of the dugout it represents an opportunity too good to pass up.
Newport are 19th in League Two having won just three of their opening 14 matches and Coughlan’s first game in charge will be this Saturday’s encounter with Colchester United who, coincidentally, have his former No2 at Rovers and Mansfield, and flatmate in Bristol, Joe Dunne as part of their coaching staff.
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