Owen Heary has backed the interim management team of Joseph Ndo and Gavin Dykes to lead Sligo Rovers to safety and says his departure from the club is “done and dusted”.

After a dismal start to the season, which has seen the 2012 league winners drop into the relegation zone with Saturday’s loss to Bray (under the caretaker managers), the former Bohemians player and manager has now left the club but only after a protracted and complicated parting of the ways.

Ndo, a former player of legendary status within the club, has taken over management duties alongside Dykes but the ex-Cameroon international is not currently qualified to take over on a full-time basis.

Despite this, Heary reckons he can get the Connacht side back on track and has even offered his services to Ndo.

“I’ve spoke to Joseph and told him if he needs anything done, whether it’s footage on teams or analysing teams, there’s no problem, I’d definitely help out,” Heary told RTÉ Sport.

“I don’t think the club have the resources to go further afield [to find a manager]. They’ve cut the budget, they’re looking to cut it, I think, again so it is a difficult time in terms of bringing in money in.

“I think if they give Joseph the reins, let him take [it on, then] come towards the end of the season you can get someone in with a pro badge.

“But at the moment I think Joseph’s the right man to be there with Gavin Dykes as well. Gavin Dykes has a lot of experience in the managing side of it, so let the two of them have a go at it and try turn things around.”

"It’s not a major issue, it’s just to let people know that I didn’t walk away from something”

The club had claimed in a statement that Heary has stepped down but the ex-defender was adamant that this was not the case.

He added: “Everything is sorted. The issue wasn’t about what was happening. The issue was about the statement that came out on Friday.

"They had it that I stepped down. I only saw that statement before going live on air [as an analyst for Setanta].

“It was untrue. The thing was that the club let me go. I didn’t step down and that was the issue that I had.

“It’s all done and dusted now as far as I’m concerned. It’s not a major issue, it’s just to let people know that I didn’t walk away from something.”

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