ROYAL GRUMBLE Meath on slide but boss says hard work is answer

MEATH boss Andy Mcentee admits there’s no easy way to stop the rot that’s set in.

The Royals have surprisingly slumped to three defeats in a row having initially eyed promotion after starting Division 2 with a draw and a win.

They’re currently languishing second from bottom, a point behind Down and three ahead of Louth – both of whom they play in their remaining two games.

First up this Sunday is a trip to Drogheda to play Louth and they can expect a fiery encounter.

The Wee County are struggling under new boss Peter Mcgrath but are still irked by the 2010 Leinster final episode.

And it was

Louth that consigned

Meath to relegation and Division 3 football back in 2012 when they beat once mighty Meath in the final round. Mcentee said: “I’ve always said, they’re a very good bunch, they’re always interested in working hard. Just at the moment it’s not happening, for one reason or another. “It’s not happening and that’s hard to do, to turn around from a management point of view and it’s hard to turn around from a players’ point of view. There’s no secret to it. You’ve just got to work harder. That’s the only kind of way I know of going about it anyway.”

Former All-ireland club title winning Ballyboden boss Mcentee made six changes to his team before last week’s clash with Cork. But they fell 1-4 to 0-2 down early on and never recovered – meaning there could be more changes for the short trip to Louth.

Back in early February after blitzing Clare, Mcentee said he’d like the players to get a shot at Division one football.

“At the moment we’re not in the mid-table, we’re below mid-table,” Mcentee said. “We have to accept that and we just have to roll up the sleeves and keep on it.

“It’s always disappointing when you don’t perform to the level you think you’re capable of. But that’s where we’re at at the moment.”

Longford will hope to add to Meath’s misery in just over two months when the sides meet in the Leinster championship.

The Leinster Council stated when the draw was made that Longford would have to complete redevelopment work at Pearse Park in time for the game or it would switch to Navan.

But Longford secretary Peter O’reilly has confirmed that several weeks into the process, it’s looking good.

O’reilly said that work on the west stand to address subsidence will be completed in time and that there should be a capacity of between 8,000 to 8,500. O’reilly added: “Work will continue then after that game and we’d hope to have the capacity up to around 10,000 in total by

June or July.”