Former boss Gary Boyle backing 'great appointment' Barry Gray to keep Newry City in Premiership

Having taken over the reins from Darren Mullen ahead of this season, Boyle resigned following their Boxing Day defeat to Glenavon with Newry sitting bottom of the Premiership table and ex-Warrenpoint Town and Cliftonville chief Gray was appointed.

Newry currently trail 11th-placed Ballymena United by six points with 14 games left to play while Dungannon Swifts are nine points clear, but Gray did break a winless run of 10 matches across competitions with Saturday’s Irish Cup fifth round success against Ballinamallard United.

Boyle played under Gray when Warrenpoint sealed a maiden Premiership promotion in 2013 and re-joined his boyhood club on Tuesday after being appointed to interim manager John Gill’s backroom staff at Milltown.

"Barry is a great appointment,” he said. “He has been a point of support and advice for me in my career.

"I played under Barry and certainly in the coaching element I've leant on him on various occasions. I think it's a great appointment by Newry and it has given me an opportunity at Warrenpoint. Both clubs probably feel as if they've done ok out of both moves and we both move on."

Boyle brought the likes of Championship top-scorer Adam Salley, Ciaran O’Connor, Adam Carroll and Barney McKeown to Newry during the summer but also missed key players with John McGovern sidelined during most of his reign while Donal Scullion only made a return from injury on Boxing Day.

Knowing the quality of Newry’s squad, Boyle is more than confident that they’ve enough to get themselves out of a precarious position.

"I believe that there's enough there,” he added. “I know Barry will want to make his own tweaks, but I do believe that if they can get key players fit and on the pitch that there's enough quality there.

"Saturday was a great performance and win. I wasn't at the game but getting a win was crucial for the club and when you look at the players that are still not involved in the matchday squad, there's serious quality there which can only help the club to stay up."

In total, Boyle won six and drew three of his 28 matches in charge across all competitions and feels time spent in the Premiership dugout has helped him develop.

"It didn't go as well as we would have hoped - there's no beating around the bush about that,” he reflected. “I have to use it as grounding, learning and try to draw on that experience to do better. That's the plan.

"I feel like I learned a lot on and off the pitch in dealing with different things that I never had to before. There's an element of luck that plays part in it as well and we were in a lot of games.

"Momentum and luck plays a huge part in football and results and whilst it didn't go terrifically, we were very close to making it work. I don't want that to be lost and don't want to see my time as Newry manager as a failure.

"I think it will certainly help with my own personal development to do better in the future."