Football

Mattie McGleenan seeks to freshens up his Cavan management team

Mattie McGleenan is looking for replacements for trainer Finbar O’Reilly and strength and conditioning coach Eoin Maguire, with both men having stepped away
Mattie McGleenan is looking for replacements for trainer Finbar O’Reilly and strength and conditioning coach Eoin Maguire, with both men having stepped away Mattie McGleenan is looking for replacements for trainer Finbar O’Reilly and strength and conditioning coach Eoin Maguire, with both men having stepped away

MATTIE McGleenan has been confirmed as Cavan manager for a second season, but his backroom team will have a new look in 2017.

Trainer Finbar O’Reilly and strength and conditioning coach Eoin Maguire have stepped away, and the former Tyrone attacker is on the look-out for replacements.

McGleenan revealed last night that he has already begun preparations for next season, having taken his first step into the world of inter-county management this year.

The Breffni men suffered relegation from Division One of the National Football League, and after losing their Ulster Championship opener to Monaghan, scored a Qualifier win over Offaly before losing to Tipperary.

“This is a big year for me. I want to see what I can do with this football team over the next 12 months,” he said.

“It’s a huge challenge, one I’m thoroughly enjoying, and I want to try and get the best out of these boys.

“I wouldn’t be happy with how the season finished. We had four wins over the course of the year, two draws and six losses.

“It’s a long time since I have had a losing season, so I want to make sure and change that this coming year.”

The Breffni boss feels he will be better prepared for the upcoming season, having been still involved in the Ulster Club SFC with Scotstown at the time of his appointment late in 2016.

“At the minute we’re looking at a new backroom team, getting everything planned and prepared,” he said.

“I didn’t have that sort of time last year, with Scotstown being involved in the Ulster club championship, then going straight in to the Cavan set-up. The planning and organisation of the season wasn’t what I would have liked.

“I have had plenty of time now, and we’re doing a lot of work at the minute in terms of planning and getting timings sorted out in terms of our training and periodisation of the season.

“It’s another side of the game that I’m learning and really enjoying working with those guys and getting that all in place.”

He’s currently scouting for fresh talent by taking in as many games as possible in the Cavan club championships in the hope of strengthening his squad for 2018.

“I’m spending a bit of time watching club championship football to see if there’s anybody out there,” he said.

Despite the disappointment of relegation, McGleenan has taken many positives from the past season, and believes lessons learned will stand Cavan in good stead going forward.

“It was a fabulous year this year. Playing Division One football was a huge level to come in to, but certainly we have learnt a lot this year, and hopefully that’s a catalyst,” he said.

“The problem with Division One is that if you make one mistake at that level you’re punished. And if you make a fundamental error, those teams have you, you’re done for.

“That’s what the top teams do to you, and I know I got my eyes opened by the speed of play, the speed of thought of those games. It was exceptional.

“Each of those games is a championship match, the crowd, the atmosphere, they all took serious preparation, and I thought it stood to us in terms of going forward to this year, and hopefully the boys will take the learning from it.

“We’ll take the learning from it, because that’s the standard all those teams are at. The last four in the All-Ireland are all Division One, and that’s the level that you need to be playing at.”

The first target is promotion back to the top flight, but he appreciates the competition will be fierce in a division comprising a number of teams that produced big championship performances in the past few months.

“Division Two is a big challenge for us next year, we have a lot to work on, a lot to improve on, but it was a great learning curve this year, so now let’s make sure we do things better next year,” he said.

“When you look at Division Two, you have Roscommon, the Connacht champions, you have Down the Ulster finalists, you have Tipperary there, you have Cork. You have serious football teams, and in each game, if you don’t get off to a good start come next February, all of a sudden you’re at the wrong end of the table.”