Glentoran Targets Jim Magilton After Devine Exit
Glentoran have turned to Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton as their leading candidate to replace Declan Devine after a bruising start to the season at the Oval.
Devine’s two-year spell ended on Monday, cut short by poor results and growing unease in east Belfast. His departure left assistant managers Paddy McCourt and Tim McCann to pick up the pieces for Tuesday night’s home game – a defeat to Irish Premiership leaders Coleraine that only sharpened the sense of urgency.
The Glens have now made a formal approach to speak to Magilton, who has quickly moved to the top of their shortlist. The timing adds an extra edge to the weekend: Glentoran are due at Solitude on Saturday to face Cliftonville in the league, with the man they want sitting in the opposite dugout.
Magilton, 57, has rebuilt his reputation in north Belfast. Appointed Cliftonville manager in 2023 as successor to Paddy McLaughlin, the former Northern Ireland international delivered silverware and swagger in short order. He ended the club’s 45-year wait for the Irish Cup the following year, a landmark triumph that instantly stamped his authority on the job.
His impact did not stop there. Magilton guided the Reds to the 2025 BetMcLean Cup, with Glentoran themselves on the receiving end in the final. That victory only underlined why the Oval hierarchy now see him as the man to lead their reset. Two months after that cup success, Cliftonville fell to Dungannon Swifts in the Irish Cup final, a reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn in domestic knockout football, but it did little to dim his standing.
Magilton’s coaching journey has taken him well beyond the Irish League. He has held roles at Ipswich Town, the Irish FA, Dundalk and Melbourne Victory, experience that gives him a broader view than most of his contemporaries in the local game. That background, combined with his recent trophy record, has pushed him to the front of Glentoran’s search.
For now, he remains Cliftonville’s manager, preparing his side for a league meeting that suddenly carries a different kind of tension. One club wants points; the other wants their manager.
What happens around Solitude in the coming days may shape far more than just one fixture.
