Coffey keeps the faith ahead of trip to Tipp

One week was all that separated the appointments of Tom Coffey in Offaly and Roy Hodgson by England in late April and both men have experienced just how difficult it is to play catch-up in two of the year’s major sporting tournaments.

Hodgson’s summer is already over after last Monday’s Euro 2012 quarter-final defeat to Italy on penalties but Coffey’s limps on, for now, despite the 13-point defeat suffered against Kildare two weekends ago.

Appointed, for the second time, as interim manager, Coffey inherited a squad in crisis.

Kildare are unrecognisable since the arrival of Kieran McGeeney as manager. Physically, they are one of the most imposing sides in football and, in Offaly on June 17, they faced a side light years behind them in both footballing and physiological terms.

It was, essentially, men against boys.

“It’s just a work ethic, from one to 15,” said Coffey of Kildare who will face Meath in the first Leinster semi-final at Croke Park this Sunday. “They have serious athletes and are just a machine. They’d nearly remind you of the All Blacks, the way they’ve prepared.”

For Offaly, this weekend brings a shot at redemption, in the form of the All-Ireland qualifiers, taking a trip to Semple Stadium to face Tipperary.

“They’ll be very hard beaten, especially at home,” warns Coffey.

Tipp will spend spring 2013 in Division Four but their defeat of Offaly on April 8 in Clonmel sentenced their neighbours to the same purgatory.

There is talk of root and branch reform in Offaly football. For now a win — any win — is all that matters.

Speaking at the launch of a 100km cycle in aid of two-year old Tadhg Carroll who has a condition, AHC, which causes repeated attacks of paralysis, Coffey said: “We should be able to go down and get a result but we need luck. We need scores and need everything going right on the day.”