Matthew Newell has been appointed first-team manager of Annalong Football Club, returning to the role he occupied more than a decade ago.

Stephen Burden joins as assistant player-manager, with John Sloan taking the goalkeeper coach position and Keith McCullough operating as kitman.

Newell, a former Annalong player, first managed the senior side between 2013 and 2015, when he was 18 years old. He played a key role in establishing the club’s youth system before moving into coaching roles at Warrenpoint Town Under-20s, Glenavon’s academy, and the Valley Rangers first team.

Most recently, he served as first-team assistant head coach at Knockbreda in the Premier Intermediate League, a post he left at the end of the 2025/26 season. Newell, who holds a UEFA B Licence, had intended to take a break from the game.

He explained that after departing Knockbreda he planned to step back and not rush into another position, but admitted that the pull of his hometown club was too strong to resist. The opportunity at Annalong prompted him to reconsider, and he spoke of a sense of unfinished business from his earlier spell in charge.

The appointment marks a homecoming for Newell, who grew up in the coastal village and previously represented the club as a player.