Newport County has announced the departure of coach Joe Dunne, following the recent exit of manager Graham Coughlan. Coughlan left the League Two club on Thursday, with the chairman explaining that he wanted to take the team in a new direction. Dunne had been brought in by Coughlan when he was appointed as manager in October 2022. Given Coughlan’s departure, it was not unexpected that Dunne would also leave the club.
The club expressed their gratitude towards Dunne for his efforts over the past 20 months and wished him well for the future. At 51 years old, Dunne has a wealth of experience in the lower divisions of the Football League as both a player and in various managerial roles. Before joining Newport County, he had managerial and assistant coaching stints at clubs like Colchester, Cambridge United, Bristol Rovers, Mansfield Town, and Stevenage.
Newport County is now in search of a replacement for Coughlan, with a focus on hiring a head coach. The team is set to return to pre-season training on 1 July, and new signings are expected to join the squad in the coming week. Additionally, Newport has been placed in Group H for the 2024-25 Bristol Street Motors Trophy competition. They will be competing against teams like Cheltenham Town, Reading, and a Premier League academy team from the southern section. The draw for the group stages is scheduled to take place on Thursday.