Reynolds exits Derry to return home to Waterford as assistant to Keith Long

Waterford FC have made another high-profile appointment to their management with Alan Reynolds departing Premier Division high-flyers Derry City to become assistant manager.

Reynolds returns to his hometown side, with personal reasons a factor having been working at the opposite end of the country for the last 16 months.

The move is a blow to the Candystripes with Ruaidhri Higgins acknowledging his time at the Brandywell which included winning the FAI Cup last season in the aftermath of last Friday's victory over Shelbourne.

He will work under new boss Keith Long and brings extensive experience to the Blues coaching team.

Reynolds is also Republic of Ireland Under-21 assistant manager under Jim Crawford.

He has managed the First Division side in three previous spells, once as a player/manager.

The former midfielder, who made over 300 appearances for the club, guided the Blues to the First Division title in 2017 and secured a fourth-place Premier Division finish in 2018, before helping Shelbourne to a similar First Division promotion as assistant.

Long said: "I’m delighted Alan has joined the club. He’s a coach with fantastic experience from playing and management and will be a big asset to the club.

"He’s a local guy and it’s brilliant that we can bring him back to his local club to help us achieve our goals this season."