Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers' League Two rivals part company with Yorkshire-based manager
FORMER Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United captain Graham Coughlan has left his role as manager at League Two side Newport County by mutual consent.
The Dubliner, 49, whose family home is in South Yorkshire, had a year left on his contract at Rodney Parade.
Owner Huw Jenkins, who took over in January, stated that the club wanted to 'move in a different direction'.
Coughlan, who has previously managed Bristol Rovers and Mansfield, arrived at the Exiles in October 2022.
Jenkins said: “I have total respect for Graham and found this decision particularly difficult to make considering all the hard work he has put in to help stabilise the club over the last 18 months.
"It goes without saying that I wish Graham every success in his future managerial career.
"However, moving forward I must take the club and the team in a different direction and stay true to my own beliefs which I feel over time will bring sustained success to Newport County and hopefully change the club’s outlook for many years ahead.”
Coughlan moved to the Owls in the summer of 2005, when he was reunited with former boss Paul Sturrock - who he played under at Plymouth Argyle.
He was named as player of the year in 2005–06.
Coughlan was released by Wednesday in the summer of 2007 and joined neighbours Rotherham and was almost an ever-present throughout the 2007–08 season.
He left the following summer after becoming an unwitting victim of the Millers ongoing battle to survive due to a financial crisis and moved to Shrewsbury Town having agreed to help the club’s predicament out by switching to Shropshire.
In 2021, Coughlan worked as an academy coach at Sheffield United ahead of moving to Newport.