Meyler backed to continue as Cork manager

JOHN MEYLER should stay on as Cork manager according to the county’s Under 20 hurling captain Robert Downey, despite last Sunday’s defeat by Kilkenny. Pressure has increased on Meyler to end his two-year term as manager following the six-point loss in the All-Ireland quarter-final but Downey, who will lead the Rebels into a Munster final against Tipperary next week, believes the manager should stay in the job. ‘I would like for John Meyler to stay on,’ Downey said. ‘He called me into the panel, gave me my first start. I have great time for John. He was brilliant with us this year and he’s very passionate about Cork hurling and hurling in general. ‘You can see what it means to him when you are around training.’ Downey is Patrick Horgan’s clubmate at Glen Rovers and he admitted that the defeat, and another year without a Celtic Cross, is tough on Cork’s talisman, considering how well he was playing this year. ‘He’s my clubmate. He is unbelievable, incredible to be around,’ Downey explained. ‘You would be glued to him when he’s around. Everything he does is perfect. How many players can say they got three goals

in Croke Park against the Kilkenny backs? He’s special. ‘You see him four times a week and you are able to just go and talk to him about things, ask for a bit of advice and he’s always there to help you along. You would pick up a few things off him. He’s unreal, a brilliant role model.’ Meanwhile Derry are the searching for a new senior football manager after Damian McErlain stepped down, two years into his threeyear term. The Oak Leaf County climbed out of Division 4 this year, but their Championship ended in a qualifier defeat to Laois in Owenbeg. McErlain had been minor manager for three years before getting the top job. ‘The rationale is very much based on personal circumstances and it’s with disappointment that I won’t be finishing my threeyear term,’ he said in a statement. ‘After five years in Owenbeg, it has been a big shift with some great memories and challenges in equal measure. But I now have to focus on prioritising myself and my family.’