Peter Hutton sacked by Derry City after cup defeat to Cork

Peter Hutton has been sacked by Derry City in the wake of Monday night's FAI Cup quarter-final defeat at the hands of Cork City at Turner's Cross. The 42-year-old will be replaced by his assistant and former City team-mate Paul Hegarty.

Hutton only took charge of the Brandywell outfit in May 2014 and having sought to make changes to the squad he inherited from Roddy Collins, he successfully guided the side to the FAI Cup final in his first campaign in charge. City, though, were beaten by St Patrick’s Athletic and their league form was poor with the manager clearly prioritising the cup games.

This year, City have again struggled in the Premier Division and they now lie just three points above last placed Limerick, having taken just three from their last four games and gone 12 straight matches earlier in the campaign without a win.

With resources at the club limited and having struggled to replace established goalscorers lost last winter, Hutton’s grip on his job may have come down to his ability to deliver another cup final. But having held Cork at home, his side conceded three goals late in the replay and the club’s board subsequently decided that the time to make a change had come.

It is believed that Hutton was surprised and disappointed by the decision with the club veteran believing he would be left in place through to the end of the season. But with Limerick and Sligo Rovers having picked up their league form over the last few weeks, Hegarty has not been handed the task of sparking a similar improvement in order to ensure that City retain their top flight status for next season.

Whether he is offered the job on a longer term basis is likely to depend on how well he succeeds in the task.