Barry Gray confirmed as Newry City manager as former Warrenpoint Town and Cliftonville chief is tasked to help club avoid relegation

City had been on the lookout for a new boss after Gary Boyle handed in his resignation following the Boxing Day defeat to Glenavon, before they were heavily beaten by Dungannon Swifts last Saturday.

The border club are currently bottom of the Sports Direct Premiership table - six points behind Ballymena United in 11th and nine adrift of Dungannon Swifts in 10th.

Gray comes to the club after previous managerial experience in the top flight with Warrenpoint Town and Cliftonville.

The 43-year-old stepped down from his position as Warrenpoint Town boss on Monday to take the reins at rivals Newry, with his first game coming in Saturday's Irish Cup tie against Ballinamallard United.

“It’s great to get things finalised and the formalities over,” Gray told Newry City’s website.

"We have a tough challenge ahead and I am under no illusions how tough it is to get off the bottom of the table in such a competitive league.

“I am looking forward to getting in and working with the players, a lot of them I have worked with before or I am familiar with already.

“My job is to try and secure Newry’s Premiership status with whatever it takes to do so. The players no doubt are a little low on confidence at the minute and struggling for form, but this is an opportunity for everyone to reset and focus on a fresh start.

“We have a lot to do in the coming weeks and months, we will prioritise the most appropriate games and concentrate on raising standards and performance levels.

“We have good players here and performances may have been lower than expected but now is the time to stand up and be counted. We will get to work right away and hopefully see performance levels and results improve quickly.”

Club Chairman, Martin McLoughlin added: “Firstly let me give a warm welcome to Barry Gray.

“Barry comes to us at a time when we need someone to lead us out of the difficult spell we have been going through and someone who can restore the confidence that has been lacking of late within our squad.

“With almost 20 years coaching experience at the highest level with spells at Cliftonville and our neighbours Warrenpoint Town, he has earned much respect and built up a network of very valuable contacts. Barry is a Newry man by birth and we feel that he is exactly what we need to help us retain our premiership status.

“I would like to thank Gary Boyle for his efforts and commitment throughout his seven years at the club and in particular over the past seven months.

“We are under no illusions about the task ahead and the dedication and efforts needed, but having spoken to Barry at length, we believe he has the passion and the drive to give us a fighting chance.

“We hope all at The Showgrounds get behind Barry and his team.

“Welcome home Barry.”