Staying up will be huge boost, says McEnaney

SEAMUS MCENANEY says it will be a bonus if Meath retain their Division Two status because of the dismal start they have made to their Allianz League campaign.

Sunday’s six-point defeat by Donegal at Navan marked the third brace of points that McEnaney’s troops have dropped in their four league outings.

As a result, Meath have collected just two points, and sit in joint second last position in Division Two along with Antrim, just one point ahead of bottom-placed Sligo.

“After the way things have gone for us, the best that we can hope for is consolidation in Division Two,” said McEnaney, whose side face Kildare (away), Derry and Kildare (both at home) in their three remaining league fixtures.

“But that would be a big plus for us because anything positive would be a boost for us at the moment.”

Even though Meath were without key players in injured trio KevinReilly, Graham Reilly and Stephen Bray, McEnaney declined to offer any excuses for the abject performance against Donegal.

“There’s no hiding place, this was the worst performance yet,” he remarked.

Meanwhile O’Loughlin Gaels full-back Andy Kearns has won his fitness race to return from a hamstring injury suffered in January and will start in Thursday’s AIB All-Ireland Club hurling final against Galway’s Clarinbridge.

O’LOUGHLIN GAELS (All-Ireland SHC final v Clarinbridge): S Murphy; B Kelly, A Kearns, E Kearns; A O’Brien, B Hogan, N Bergin; P Dowling, M Nolan; N McEvoy, M Bergin, A Geoghegan; B Dowling, M Comerford, D Loughnane.