James Horan’s second spell as Mayo senior footballer manager is over after he stepped down on Monday afternoon.
The news comes following Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final defeat to Kerry, with the Connacht side losing 1-18 to 0-13 with David Clifford scoring the game’s only goal in Croke Park.
Mayo have enjoyed many memorable campaigns during Horan’s tenure and they reached four All-Ireland finals in his two spells in charge.
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However, the Sam Maguire Cup continues to elude the county. They lost the 2012 and 2013 finals to Donegal and Dublin respectively during his first stint as Mayo boss with Horan stepping down in 2014.
He returned in 2018 to succeed Stephen Rochford and led Mayo to consecutive All-Ireland finals against Dublin (2020) and Tyrone (2021), but they lost out on both occasions.
Horan also won six Connacht titles and one Allianz Football League title with Mayo.
Despite initially saying that he’d take some time to reflect on his future in the aftermath of Sunday's defeat, Horan has decided to end his second tenure as Mayo boss.
“Now that the season has drawn to a close and my second four-year term as Mayo Senior Football manager has been completed, I am stepping aside from Mayo football,” Horan said in a statement issued via the Mayo County Board.
“It has been a brilliant journey and I feel very lucky to have worked with great players and people during that time.
“We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on. The initial focus was to make Mayo football consistently competitive on the main stage, I feel that has been achieved and the senior team have moved in the right direction.
“Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights.
“I have worked with some amazing people over the last decade from Support Teams right through, there are too many to mention here, but I will ensure every one of them understands the tremendous contribution they have made to their county.
“Also, the Mayo supporters that followed the team through thick and thin were brilliant and the support we as a team have received over the years has been fantastic.
“But most importantly it’s the players that represent Mayo we all should be very proud of. They are brilliant ambassadors for our County and have a spirit and togetherness that will keep Mayo football moving forward.”
Mayo chairman Seamus Tuohy added: “The Mayo GAA executive committee will now commence the process of considering suitable candidates to replace James and his management team in the coming weeks."
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