Quitting not an option for Meath players

Meath footballers are known for a lot of things, but quitting is certainly not one of the radar. Next Sunday Seamus McEnaney will bring his battle-weary troops north of the border to Celtic Park, Derry for a clash that will go a long way towards determining the NFL Div 2 relegation issue. This is a rotten situation for Meath. The year started with so much promise. The Leinster SFC champions were expected to feature at the top of the table and were one of the favourites for promotion. The arrival of McEnaney gave the county a boost, there was talk of great things ahead. However, the first three months of the Monaghan man's reign have been a disaster. Three wins from nine games, one against Kilkenny, the others against and Laois in the O'Byrne Shield and Sligo in the league have left confidence at an all-time low. Successive weekends at the tail end of February and in early March brought two of the worst Meath performances for many years. There was a significant improvement last week despite the defeat by Kildare, but the losing run away from home continues and shows little sign of abating. The excuses? Injuries, suspensions and the training ban have all been cited as reasons for recent failures. McEnaney has had more than his fair share of problems since taking charge. Injuries to key players such as Kevin Reilly, Graham Reilly and Cian Ward have been devastating. He has also had to plan without Peadar Byrne, due to suspension. However, many of the 41 players he utilised in nine competitive games have failed to live up to expectations. All Star forward Stephen Bray, who will be available if needed, has missed all of the training and the first five games of the league due to honeymoon. The added news that Bray's younger brother David will miss the rest of the year because of injury is another setback. Against that background it is difficult to see matters improving. Meath must win one of their last two games, away to Derry and at home to Tyrone, or they will drop to Div 3. Such a scenario would be disastrous for the county and will hamper ambitions for a sustained championship run for a couple of seasons. Achieving at least one win from the last two games is easier said than done. Tyrone have started to hit form as the summer approaches and so Meath's best chance of claiming those vital two points is next Sunday in Celtic Park. Last Sunday week Meath stumbled to their seventh successive away defeat in the NFL and they have only one win in their last 13 league games away from Pairc Tailteann. The early rounds against Laois, Sligo and Antrim were meant to be Meath's salvation, a platform to build on, but now Meath need a miracle. Derry have also had an indifferent campaign, but three wins from five leaves them in a comfortable position. They started well against a Tyrone side that were grieving the loss of their manager's daughter Micheala Harte. Then they travelled to Newbridge where the shocked Kildare. Subsequently Laois entered fortress Celtic Park and came away with a whopping 14-point win and although Derry got back on track with a narrow win over Sligo, they were brought back down to earth with a bang against Donegal. Derry's home form seems to be as bad as Meath's away. All the indications are that something has to give. Derry forward Eoin Bradley will miss the game after losing his appeal to the Central Hearings Committee against a four-week suspension. Bradley was sent off during his side's win over Sligo in his first appearance following a six-month suspension arising from an incident during a club match last year. He appealed unsuccessfully to the CHC. Bradley's loss is a huge blow for Derry and with Meath hopeful of having Graham and Kevin Reilly available to play some part then maybe the tide is turning. There were significant signs of improvement against Kildare. There was plenty of hunger and desire and no shortage of effort in that outing and that will need to be repeated. If Meath can hold their discipline, then they can take one almighty step towards safety.