The inevitable happened at the weekend as Dubliner Pat Byrne quit his role as Kilkenny City manager even though his side earned a draw against Finn Harps.

Byrne, who has been in the wars with the game's governing bodies throughout his time at Kilkenny, cited "other commitments" as his reason for standing down.

The 44-year-old had been in charge of Kilkenny for a season and a half but spent most of that time in the dock because of his behaviour on the sidelines.

He refused to pay a fine imposed on him by the League, which led to a pitch-side ban; and he was heading towards a full ban until he finally caved in a paid it.

He denied that his reasons for leaving had anything to do with his team's start to the season but said instead that a combination of work commitments and disillusionment with officialdom had left him with no choice.