An appointment that generated so much excitement but ultimately failed to deliver has come to an end.
After the impressive job Lynch did with the Inver Reds, there were high expectations for what he and his brother Seamus could achieve at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium and a belief they could deliver the silverware the club so crave.
Finishing just three points behind champions Shamrock Rovers and securing European football was considered a successful debut season for Lynch.
Expectations only grew for his second season after more high-profile signings including former Sunderland and Wrexham player McClean.
From the start of the season, however, it was clear the side were not building upon the previous campaign as they registered just nine points from their first 10 games.
The club’s struggles continued on the European stage and they lost to CSKA Sofia in the Europa League qualifiers before being knocked out of the Conference League qualifiers by Rijeka following another lacklustre display – it was after the latter that Lynch said his players needed to be “braver”.
As frustrations grew, injuries to key players such as Liam Boyce left the side short of attacking options for significant periods too.
Growing tensions around the squad have been evident and the outspoken McClean’s social media posts of recent days when he spoke of “issues” at the club can only have created more friction.
While we will never know the true level of divide between the manager and the players, the relationship between both sides seemed increasingly strained and makes news of Lynch’s departure less of a surprise.
It will be a tough task for whoever takes over to steady the ship this season.
Already 14 points behind the top three with 10 games to go, it looks highly unlikely that the club can secure European football through their league position.
However, the new manager will still have the potential of the FAI Cup to try and salvage something from this increasingly lost campaign.