Allen: No animosity with McEnaney

Meath GAA chairman Barney Allen has said that there is no animosity between himself and Seamus McEnaney, despite the Allen-led County Committee tabling a motion of no confidence in the Meath senior football manager last night.

A vote to remove McEnaney as the Royals boss was backed by 43 votes to 31, but failed to receive the two-thirds majority required to oust the Monaghan native from the position.

The motion of no confidence came after Meath lost to Louth by 2-14 to 1-8 in their final round Division 2 encounter in the Allianz Football League, and were subsequently relegated to Division 3 for next year.

Giving his reaction, Allen said: "I accept the democratic decision of the clubs. We felt that we had to do something with the pressure we came under from certain club members after the Louth game.

"We wish Seamus McEnaney the best of luck in the Championship and hope that he can get the confidence back into the Meath players, that they can go on from here to win maybe a Leinster title or get into a Leinster final.

"Seamus McEnaney will have the full backing of the Meath clubs."

Meath's former All-Ireland winning manager Sean Boylan had been approached about replacing McEnaney in the position. Allen says that the approach to Boylan did not undermine McEnaney.

"I can't see it undermining Seamus McEnaney in any way," he insisted.

"With the time span that was left - the Championship takes place in five weeks' time - we had to move in the case of the clubs.

"I only reacted to the clubs that came to me and asked me to do something about it.

"I did something about it and the final decision is made here at a County Committee meeting and I respect that. I have no axe to grind at any club or anyone in the county."

There was anger directed personally from club delegates at Allen during last night's meeting. They expressed their disgust that Boylan was approached directly by Allen about taking over.

"I, as chairman, had the mandate at the convention here to act, and I took it as my responsibility when the pressure came on to ask someone.

"Sean Boylan was the only man I could have approached and I came back to the Executive with that.

"If the Executive felt on that night that I shouldn't have done it, they would have voted that way. They went on with the decision of talking to Sean Boylan."