Jason Ryan has stepped down as Kildare senior football manager

Kildare are looking for a new senior football manager after Jason Ryan stepped down from his post tonight.

Ryan had been in charge of the Lilywhites since 2013 and met with county officials this week to express his desire to continue as manager for next year but uncertainty at the executive meeting led to his decision to resign. Ryan revealed his decision via a statement this evening. "It is with regret that I wish to resign from my position as Kildare Senior Football Manager. It is not a decision that I have taken lightly. I have been involved in intercounty management since October 2007 and the challenges and time requirements of the job have taken their toll. "I wish to thank the Kildare county board for giving me the opportunity to work as manager for the last two seasons and to Kieran McGeeney for giving me the opportunity to work with him as selector in 2013. "It has been a privilege.I would like to thank the players for their hard work and dedication to Kildare. Keep the faith men!" Kildare selector Morgan O'Callaghan took to Twitter to thank Ryan for all he'd done for the county since taking over from Kieran McGeeney two years ago.

V privileged to have worked with Jason Ryan for 3 years! Unbelievably hard worker with huge passion and enthusiasm for the game. A real gent

— Morgan O'Callaghan (@MorgantheBriar) August 27, 2015

Ryan had motivated Kildare in the qualifiers to make it to an All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry this year after suffering Leinster semi-final defeat to Meath but he endured consecutive Allianz League relegations during his tenure. It's believed that former Lilywhites captain Glenn Ryan is the favourite to take over the position.