McNally leaves his role at league rivals Skelmersdale United to take the hot seat vacated by Michael Ellison last week.

McNally’s playing career spanned the Saturday and Sunday League levels with spells at Ayone (ex-Liverpool County Combination), Poulton Vics, South Liverpool and Cammell Laird with whom he moved onto coaching.

As coach/assistant manager from 2012 to 2014 alongside Tony Sullivan, McNally guided the team to second spot in the NPL North Division One with promotion denied by Trafford in the play-off final.

Sadly, the club folded after the following season but the restart in the form of Cammell Laird 1907 in the North West Counties League with McNally securing automatic promotion at the first attempt in 2015/16 with just three defeats across the season.

He departed during the following season leaving Lairds in good shape with three cup quarter finals.

A move to Litherland REMYCA as assistant to Phil Stafford saw Remy finish third in NWCL Division One with play-off defeat to City of Liverpool and with Stafford moving on to Bootle, McNally took the reins with instant success as Remy finished second with 99 points and securing promotion to the Premier Division.

McNally departed the club at the end of the 2017/18 season and was appointed as manager of Skelmersdale in November 2018.

Aside from management, he works at youth levels with positions at Educ8 Group and Liverpool FC’s International Academy.

City of Liverpool chairman Paul Manning told https://www.cityofliverpoolfc.co.uk: “Back in 2016 when we were interviewing for our first manager of COLFC, Paul McNally was someone who impressed us at the time and got down to the final two – before we went with Simon Burton.

“Simon proved to be an inspired choice, but we have never lost contact with Paul’s managerial career and have maintained a good relationship with him.

“Going back to our first conversations with Paul it was clear that he understands and is aligned to the ethos of the club.

“Paul has proven himself in different spells with different clubs at this level, not least currently with Skelmersdale United and it is therefore a great pleasure that we announce him as our new manager.”

McNally led Skelmersdale to promotion to the NPL last season and also memorably took them to the Emirates FA Cup First Round in 2020.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining a fantastic club like City of Liverpool, the opportunity to join such a club was one that I couldn’t turn down.

“The club is huge in terms of stature, and it comes with pressure which I know myself and my management team can confidently cope with, we want to play with a high tempo and intensity that will make it hard for other teams to play against City of Liverpool.

“I want to thank everyone associated with me at Skelmersdale United over the past four years.

“There are not many clubs that could prise me away from Skem but this was one of them. I wish them all the success in the future and can hopefully sustain what has been built up there at the club”.