Portuguese Pedro Barny became the third coach to take charge of Egypt's Ismaily this season after the stuttering side named him as their new boss on Wednesday as they seek to cement second place in the Egyptian Premier League. Ismaily said on their official website that Barny has penned a short six-month deal, succeeding Abou-Taleb El-Essawi who left the club after less than a month following a four-match winless run. The Dervishes were having a fine run under Sebastien Desabre earlier in the season and seemed capable of posing a real threat to bitter rivals and defending champions Ahly on top of the table, only to dramatically collapse after the Frenchman abruptly handed in his resignation to take charge of Uganda last month. Playing under a caretaker coach, Ismaily extended their winless run to five matches after conceding a last-gasp goal to lose 1-0 to Ahly on Tuesday, with the defeat all but ending their hopes of challenging the Red Devils for the coveted title. They remain second in the table with 42 points, nine behind Ahly who still have a game in hand. Ismaily's realistic hope lies in finishing second to qualify for the African Champions League as they lead third-placed Masry by four points. Barny is no stranger to Egyptian football, having worked as an assistant to compatriot Manuel Jose from 2012 to 2012 during their spell in charge of Ahly. The 51-year-old's previous stints as a head coach were with Portuguese duo Boavista and Espinho. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
