NEW Cavan manager Mattie McGleenan says taking charge of the Breffni Blues is “an absolute honour and a privilege”.
Tyrone native McGleenan was confirmed as the successor to Terry Hyland last week and he inherits a side that forced its way into Division One of the National Football League with a series of impressive displays last season.
His first NFL game is a baptism of fire against All-Ireland champions Dublin, but the former Red Hands star is looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s an absolute honour and a privilege to be asked to be the Cavan manager,” the Eglish clubman said.
“I’m going to take a week off, relax and recover and give myself a chance and then we’ll start and talk about Cavan in the coming weeks.”
McGleenan won three Monaghan titles in four years with Scotstown and he paid tribute to the ‘An Bhoth’ players saying his success with the club had given him the profile and the CV to progress to inter-county level.
“I wouldn’t be the Cavan manager only for what the Scotstown players have done for me over the last four years,” he said.
“Over the last four years they have been absolutely outstanding young men and their effort and workrate have been fantastic.
“They’re the best young men I have worked with and there’s a great future ahead of them.”
Scotstown still have league games to play, but McGleenan signed off on club championship football after Sunday’s Ulster club loss to Kilcoo. The game was decided by Ryan Johnston’s second half goal that propelled the Down champions to a two-point win.
“The goal won the game, that’s the reality,” said McGleenan.
“If you look back to our county final, we got two goals in a minute and won the game. I thought we reacted very well to the goal – we got a score straight after it – and we had a couple of chances to negate it but we didn’t take them and we were punished for it.
“We tried our best and that’s all I can ask of the boys.”
Kilcoo’s reward for winning at Clones was a quarter-final tie against Michael Murphy-inspired Donegal champions Glenswilly. The ‘men from the Glen’ beat favourites Kilcar in the county final on Sunday and McGleenan predicts an intriguing encounter at Pairc Esler.
“The team that comes out of Down is always going to take some shifting,” he said.
“They play Glenswilly in Newry now and they’re not coming just to take part. They’re in the next round and I know they’ll try their very best, but so will the Donegal champions.”
Meanwhile, Kilcoo manager Paul McIver kept his players’ feet on the ground after their win over McGleenan’s Scotstown on Sunday.
“Kilcoo knew coming here today that the Monaghan champions were going to be a major test for them and the next step is the Donegal champions,” said team spokesman Brian.
“There’s nothing ever easy in Ulster football but that’s why lads love playing in it. The Kilcoo lads will know that Scotstown was a major scalp but Paul pointed out to them before they left the pitch that the only thing beating them has got them was getting into the next round.
“It was a preliminary game and they’re now starting in the quarter-final the same as everybody else is.”
