Hectic start to new year for Reds

WITH three games in eight days on the horizon, it will be a hectic new year for Louth footballers, and Colin Kelly will be hoping it’s another happy one.

After escaping the doldrums of Division 4 at the first attempt, Kelly has been compiling a useful looking squad over the winter break, and supporters will get a sneak preview of how 2017 might pan out when the Reds take on Westmeath in Mullingar on Sunday (2.00).

With Maynooth University and Carlow due to visit Darver in rounds two and three, a win over Westmeath would set Louth up nicely to go on and top their group and seal a semi-final spot for the second year running.

The Reds’ boss has been critical of the workload the O’Byrne Cup heaps on players so early in the year, but last year’s campaign in the season curtain-raiser did seem to stand to his squad when the serious business of the National League got underway.

Westmeath will be just as keen to hit the ground running as they prepare to emulate Louth and make a quick escape from Division 4 this spring.

After reaching the Leinster final and then running Mayo to four points in the last-12 of the All-Ireland, the midlanders’ current leleague position doesn’t really ring trtrue, and Louth will be expecting a ststiff test in Cusack Park.

The counties met numerous titimes in a three-year period recently, cerecently, but at that stage Westmeath were en-route to Division 1 and Louth spent a couple of seasons inn the second tier, so their respective tivrespective falls from grace have been reremarkable.

Promotion from Division 4 last teterm suggests Louth may be bouncing back, but Kelly will be acutely aware of the need to at leleast maintain their Division 3 status this season.

And regardless of how the O’Byrne Cup pans out, that will be no easy task.

First up is a daunting Saturday night trip to Portlaoise on February 4th, but when Kelly analyses Louth’s league schedule he will be qquietly optimistic, if not confident.

Four home games is always a bboost and he will feel all four are wwinnable.

After the opener against Laois, isLaois, the Reds host Longford in DDrogheda a week later, and they also entertain Antrim, Armagh and Sligo at the Gaelic Grounds.

Tipperary are favourites for the title and that will be a seriously tough away assignment, but the clash with Offaly in Tullamore is another game Kelly will view with some degree of optimism.

Of course, much will depend on how well the younger and more inexperienced members of his squad adjust to life at what will be a significantly higher level than they operated in 2016.

In that regard, the knowledge and know-how of Andy McDonnell, Ronan Carroll Paraic Smith and Derek Crilly will be a boost, even if they don’t all force their way back into the starting XV.

Making it on to Kelly’s first NFL teamsheet in Portlaoise will be no easy task, but the manager certainly won’t be complaining about that.

Everyone get s a chance to stake a claim over the next eight days and it should make for interesting viewing.