ATHLETICS:TERESA McDaid has been appointed head cross-country coach following the resignation of Anne Keenan-Buckley – just five weeks before the European Cross Country in Hungary.

Keenan-Buckley told The Irish Times she’d become “very disillusioned with the management and direction of high performance within Athletics Ireland”, and felt there was no option but to resign with immediate effect, in the hope “that would be in the best interest of the athletes”.

“It’s nothing to do with personalities,” she added. “Just, as I say, the direction of high performance, because it should be all about the athletes. But it is sad. I have enjoyed my time with Irish athletics, going back 35, 36 years, really, given I was only 14 when I started off.”

Keenan-Buckley has held the position since 2006, with good success, acting as head coach when Fionnuala Britton secured the women’s European title in Slovenia last December.

Exactly how this impacts on Britton’s plans to defend her European Cross Country title remains to be seen.

A statement from Athletics Ireland last night confirmed Keenan-Buckley had resigned, and announced that McDaid would be taking over as cross country coach, with immediate effect.

“We thank Anne for the outstanding contribution she has made as team manager,” said Athletics Ireland chief executive John Foley.

Keenan-Buckley enjoyed a long and successful cross country career of her own, winning team silver with the Irish team in 2003, and also competed for Ireland in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Her role in Britton’s success in Slovenia last December earned her a Philips Manager of the Month award. She was also part of the Irish cross country team that won the under-23 gold medals at the 2010 European Cross Country.

Preparations were already well underway for the 2012 championships, set for Szentendre, outside Budapest, on December 9th.