Manager pleased with team"s progress so far

With one Coyle gone from a high-profile managerial position, it is now down to another man with the same surname to rescue Meath football, to drag it by the boot laces back to some degree of respectability. Since Meath"s humiliating exit from the All-Ireland SFC race at the hands of Limerick, many past players and managers have questioned the commitments of some of those who pull on the green and gold jersey of the county. However, Meath minor football manager Pat Coyle has no such worries ahead of next week"s All-Ireland MFC quarter-final against Tipperary. His players are fully focused and single-mindedly determined to pull in the same direction to bring All-Ireland glory back to the banks of the Boyne. There was some confusion surrounding the fixture up to this week. One of the Tipperary midfielders, Peter Acheson, is a dual player and is expected to feature against Kilkenny in an All-Ireland MHC semi-final on Sunday with the football against Meath scheduled for Saturday. However, the confusion over the fixture has not effected Coyle"s preparations and the Curraha man is confident that Meath can improve sufficiently on the their Leinster final display to earn a place in the All-Ireland MFC semi-final. 'Preparations are going very well ahead of the Tipperary game. We were worried about the club minor fixtures in Meath because the players had to play on the Thursday after the Leinster final win over Offaly and some had to play again on the Tuesday night, but they all appear to have come through unscathed,' said Coyle. 'Confidence is high after winning the Leinster title, but we are taking nothing for granted against Tipperary. I was on holidays in Kerry last week and took the opportunity to go to watch the Kerry minors training and they are a very good side. 'I was talking to the Kerry manager John Kennedy and he advised me not to take Tipperary for granted because they are a very, very good side. He believes that Tipperary were unfortunate not to beat Kerry in the Munster final in Cork the first day although Kerry won the replay easily. 'Kennedy gave us a few bits and pieces of information about what to watch for when we play Tipperary and hopefully we can capitalise on that. They have a very good corner-forward, Conor Sweeney. He is an exceptional player and he will need to be watched. 'However, we were warned about the great forwards Dublin had and the outstanding attacking options Offaly had, but we managed to survive those tests. Tipperary will have to be wary of our good forwards as well.' One of the most disappointing elements of Meath"s exit from the race for the Sam Maguire Cup was an apparent lack of heart, but that is not something Coyle has to worry about with his minor players. 'It was good to beat Offaly without playing well. It wasn"t our worst performance of the year, it was just a very nervy display from our lads. The lads knuckled down and got the result. We were coasting at one stage and then let them back into it before we ended up with the winning point in injury-time,' said the manager. 'Some of our players didn"t perform on the day in Croke Park because they were nervous. It was a big step for them because some of them are only 16 and 17, so they all want another game in Croke Park. 'They have great character, they are a great bunch. There are 30 of them on the panel and they will do anything for you. There is a great spirit and hopefully some of the players will be able to carry that into the senior team in a few years. 'We have a lot of good individual players, but they have moulded into an excellent team. I"m delighted to have the minor job because I know most of these boys since they were u-14 and we have been able to single out the exceptional individuals and focus them on believing that it is a team effort. 'I"m convinced that we haven"t played as a full unit yet and we are capable of better. We are waiting for that day to come and when they do play as a unit then it will take some team to beat them.' A key factor in the success of this minor team is the continuity of management. Most of the players on the panel have worked with Coyle and his selectors since u-14 and that is something that has helped form a strong family bond. 'It is vital to have continuity in a manager from the under-age ranks. If the players are not confident in a manager then there is the potential for problems. 'We have a great backroom team as well. Paul Clarke worked with the seniors last year when they got to an All-Ireland semi-final. James Battersby has worked with under-age footballers all his life and so has Martin Blake and Richie Cahill, they are a great team and they have plenty of knowledge. Hopefully it will be enough to push us on further,' concluded Coyle.