By Daniel Noble
COMBER Rec have sacked managers Gareth McKeown and Mark Picking following Saturday’s defeat to Mossley.
McKeown and Picking are the men responsible for putting Comber back on the footballing map, delivering a haul of silverware in their five seasons at the club.
In their first full season in charge, the pair steered the Rec back to the Amateur League Premier Division, winning the 2021/22 Division 1A title.
The return to the top flight was marked with an impressive third- place finish, providing the pedestal from which the men in yellow and black attained further success.
The first prestigious taste of glory came in the 2023/24 campaign, when the management duo led Comber to their first Steel and Sons Cup triumph since 1991, winning the trophy for only the second time in the club’s history.
Their most successful season at the helm was last term, as they guided Rec to a historic double, claiming the top division title for the first time and beating Crumlin Star at Seaview to add a Border Cup to their trophy cabinet.
However, fortunes could not have been more contrasting this season, with the champions languishing in eighth place, having picked up as many losses as they have wins.
It looked as though the side was improving when they registered four wins on the bounce in January and February, but that was followed by five consecutive defeats, including Clarence and Intermediate Cup exits at the hands of Sirocco Works and Rathriland Rangers.
Saturday’s 4-3 league defeat to relegation-threatened Mossley delivered the killer blow to McKeown and Picking’s tenure.
On Tuesday night, a club statement said: “The management committee of Comber Rec FC can confirm that the club has parted company with first team managers Gareth McKeown and Mark Picking, with immediate effect.
“The committee wishes to place on record its sincere thanks to Gareth and Mark for what has been the most successful period in the club’s history.”
McKeown did not share the sentiment however, saying: “It was done sneakily to be honest.
“We brought that club up from nothing compared to where they were. After all the honours we won with them, it’s now all come down to five defeats.
“Picky had told the chairman he was leaving at the end of the season, but I said I wasn’t. So, it’s all been done behind my back. I found out through a text message.”
While there has not yet been any news regarding a replacement, the next manager, be it on an interim or permanent basis, has a tough act to follow.
