John McCarthy has great regard for minor players

Next Wednesday (30th June) a group of Meath footballers will seek to take a big step forward on what has turned out to be an extraordinary stop, start journey.

They will take on Offaly in Mullingar in the 2020 Leinster MFC final.

It's a big step because it's a chance for Meath to win a provincial title, something teams from the Royal County have found it difficult to do at any grade of football in recent times.

The young Royals are chasing the county's 12th provincial title at this level, their first in 1957, the last in 2018.

That tally puts Meath in second place when it comes to Leinster MFC crowns, a decent record, but a long way behind front-runners Dublin who have won the championship 33 times. Offaly have six titles.

Dublin was the first team Meath defeated in the 2020 campaign, impressively overcoming the Sky Blues, 1-15 to 0-7, last October.

The fixture was originally due to be played the previous May but Covid put paid to such plans.

Subsequently Meath went on to get the better of Westmeath (3-11 to 0-7) and Laois (2-10 to 1-7), both games played in December.

The Leinster final was due to be played in early January but that never happened either. Now, at last, the teams can meet and end the waiting.

Offaly earned their place in the Leinster showdown by defeating Wicklow (2-9 to 0-9) before getting the better of Kildare (2-10 to 2-7) and Meath manager John McCarthy is preparing his troops for a one mighty battle against the Faithful County.

"I watched them play Kildare and what I saw of them they are a well coached, physically strong team," he told the Meath Chronicle.

"They were very fit on the day, very aggressive and look where Offaly football and hurling is at the moment, they are on a high. They are a really strong team unit," he added.

While notching up a victory is high on the agenda it's not the chief aim for McCarthy.

"I don't think the important thing for Meath football is that we win a Leinster, the important thing is that we develop footballers of an age that are capable of going on in a few years and representing Meath at senior level."

McCarthy added that while it was frustrating at times during the lockdowns when training and playing was banned, the fact that the Leinster final had to be played gave the players, and management, a focus.

"This experience hasn't been easy, but in many ways it has given us all a little focus, something to aim for.

"Unfortunately now for a lot of the lads it has coincided with the Leaving Certificate which is obviously much more important to them than one game of football, that has been their focus the last few weeks and probably a bit longer," he added.

"Over the past 14 or 15 months the players have been going through a training programme themselves so if people see them on the pitch and say they are fit than that's all credit to them.

"They have a marvellous attitude, marvellous work ethic for young lads going through the pandemic with no social aspect, no school for long spells, dealing with the Leaving.

"It's a huge credit to them that they can even focus on football and come back in the sort of shape they have come back in," he concluded.

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Mullingar - Meath v Offaly, 2020 Leinster MFC final.