Gary Breen has left Barnet at the end of his contract - with a farewell "thank you" to the club for helping his education as a coach.

The 36-year-old former Republic of Ireland World Cup defender made 48 appearances for the Bees and was assistant manager to Ian Hendon last season.

He rejected several offers from Championship clubs to join Barnet in December 2008, saying that he wanted to learn as a coach under then manager Paul Fairclough. Unfortunately,Fairclough switched to his current executive role at The Hive, which became Barnet's training ground, only weeks after Breen arrived.

Apart from being part of the Bees' backroom team last season, Breen was a considerable influence in central defence, bringing the best out of younger players Ismail Yakubu, Daniel Leach, Joe Devera and Clovis Kamdjo.

Breen carried on as assistant manager when Fairclough took over in a caretaker role for the last two games of the season and their partnership enabled the Bees to escape relegation.

Breen told www.barnetfc.com today that he has had a worthwhile experience as a coach at Underhill but has decided to move on to fresh challenges. He has recently completed his coaching A licence.

"I would like to thank the club, and in particular Paul Fairclough, for giving me the opportunity to pursue my education as a coach. I wish Barnet every success in the future", he said.

Dennis Signy