'All we can ask for is that lads put their best foot forward'

CHRISTY RING CUP REACTION Greville looking for even more in Derry next Saturday.

Meath manager Johnny Greville was a much happier man this week in Trim when he spoke to TOM GANNON after his side comfortably got the better of Tyrone in their must-win Christy Ring Cup clash on Saturday.

In his comments to the local media after Saturday's contest, Greville spoke about the impact that the London defeat a week earlier had on his players and the improvement that was brought about this week as a result.

"All we can ask for is that lads put their best foot forward and represent that jersey with hunger and desire. We were lacking that in bucket loads last week which was hugely disappointing from our perspective. We have spoken to the lads all week about bringing a bit of fire to this game and let the result follow. I think the lads reacted really well." said Greville

"Last week was tough and wasn't representative of how I view Meath as a county. There were a few lads that started last week that weren't in the 26 this week. Our experimentation throughout the league has allowed us to make calls like that at this stage. They're tough decisions to make but no doubt the lads that weren't involved today will rise again. That's what we are here to do though, we have to measure performance both on and off the field."

There were several good performances on Saturday but one man that stood out was Kiltale's James Kelly. Greville had high praise for the wing-back and he also commended Meath's two goalscorers, Damien Healy and Darren O'Higgins.

"James Kelly was probably the man of the match out there today. He caught balls, he picked up balls, he offloaded it to the player in the best position, he took his scores well, he was just class." said Greville.

"Damien Healy is unbelievable. He had a hugely difficult league campaign, he had injuries and setbacks but every time he puts on that jersey he gives it everything. He came off that field today with nothing left out there. Darren O'Higgins got his first senior goal today. He could have let that ball go but he chased it down and got a vital flick to it."

One aspect of the game that Greville is trying to improve in his squad is mentality and in particular, the way his side approaches the early exchanges of the second-half. On Saturday, Greville set his side a challenge of going out with a strong wind in their face and winning the second half which they did, albeit narrowly.

"We have been working on the mentality side of things and ensuring that our reaction just after half-time is on the front foot so that we can grasp the game regardless. Today we had a good lead at half-time but we spoke about resetting it to 0-0 and going out and winning the second-half."

Next up for Meath is an away trip to Derry, and Greville says that his side are going to have to improve again upon this week's performance if they are going to get the better of the team that stunned them in the league.

"Leaving here last week was difficult because we knew the lads could bring what they brought this week. They're going to need to bring that again next week but I think the reaction was there today and we got the job done. I am a big believer in looking forward and now we move on to the next game. We will have to bring that level of performance to Derry next week and probably an extra 10 or 15 % on top of that." said Greville

"There are going to be a lot more twists and turns in this Christy Ring as we go forward and I think our game against Derry next week will have to be taken on its merits. Both teams are going to be fighting to win that game. They were better than us the last day in the league and we will have to be at our best to beat them."