O'Leary out of Dublin race

In yet another twist in the search for a new Dublin football manager, the nomination of John O'Leary has been withdrawn from the race to take over the position. A source from his club O'Dwyer's said yesterday that O'Leary would not be going forward as a candidate. This reduces the list of final nominations to three.

The Dublin County Board closed the door for nominations last Sunday night and O'Leary was understood to have been among the final list. At a club meeting the previous Thursday, O'Dwyer's had agreed to back his nomination.

O'Leary, however, is on holiday in Portugal and yesterday made it known to club sources that he wasn't prepared to run for the position at this time.

Brian Mullins dropped out of the race on Monday, joining Dr Pat O'Neill, another of the strong candidates to decide against nomination. Both Mullins and Dr O'Neill cited work commitments for their decision although at this stage it is unclear exactly why O'Leary decided against putting his name forward.

His withdrawal leaves former Offaly manager Tommy Lyons as the leading runner. He confirmed his strong interest in the position earlier this week and appears to be poised for a return to inter-county management.

Lyons previously worked with Dublin club Kilmacud Crokes, and led them to the All-Ireland club title in 1995. He then took over in Offaly and helped them win a Leinster title in 1997 and a National League success the following year.

Yet Val Andrews and Paul Caffrey, the other two candidates still in contention, are also likely to get favourable backing from a number of clubs. Andrews carries a strong reputation after the way he turned Cavan's fortunes around while Caffrey gained considerable respect through his success with Na Fianna. The Dublin County Board will conclude the matter for good at their meeting of November 5th.

Meanwhile, Tony Dempsey has ended the speculation of the past few months with his decision to remain on as Wexford hurling manager. The support of the players and fans was an important factor in his decision.

"I'll be taking up the option of the second year. I've spoken to some people about it and the genuine show of support made it difficult for me to walk away. There's a romance about Wexford hurling and it's difficult not to be part of it", said Dempsey.