‘IT’S A HAPPY CAMP’
Evans has cut panel to 40 but door is open to everyone
THE Wicklow squad that John Evans desires is slowly starting to take shape but he has left a space for a familiar face.
Evans has cut his initial panel in two since the first trial game and he’ll continue to fine-tune his squad ahead of the O’Byrne Cup at the end of December.
That squad will most likely not contain any Rathnew men after their recent exploits but Evans is leaving the door open for one Rathnew man - James Stafford.
“We’ve looked at over 70 players and it’s been a lot of work in trial games over the last four or fives weeks.
“We held the few games initially and then we whittled it down to trial by trial to about 45 players and then we began training on the 15th of November. It’s been nearly five weeks now. Since then we’ve whittled it down to somewhere in the region of 40. At the moment, we’re at around 40 and we’re trying to select a panel now for the O’Byrne Cup.
“Some players came back late to us and some were involved with their club like Rathnew while some just weren’t able to commit. While the door is still open for everybody, we’re getting to the O’Byrne Cup panel now and we’re going to be trying out a lot of players.
“We’ll keep the panel at around 30 (for the O’Byrne Cup). There’s two games in it initially and if you go on from there you’ll be doing okay. 30 men would be plenty.
“It’s about gaining experience for the younger lads. It’s about getting the ball and playing competitive ball in preparation for the league.”
Stafford was a stalwart for the Garden County for over a decade before announcing his retirement two years ago. Now though, the 35-year-old midfielder looks set to return to the fold and add some experience to Evans’ squad.
“James hasn’t been training yet but he’s one of the men that we’re interested in. He’s given an indication that he’s going to come in but we gave the Rathnew lads a bit of extended time because they’d a long campaign in the championship and a successful run in Leinster that went on a bit longer than they probably imagined. They also had the semi-final of a league so their season went on and on and on so we said we’d give them a break and they’d come in around Christmas time.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. He’s certainly very, very interested. He’s having time-out, he needs a rest and I don’t want to make a decision for him but he’s certainly interested.”
Stafford has a team-mate at Rathnew by the name of Leighton Glynn who has proved that age is just a number by running the show for the Village despite approaching his 36th birthday in April. There will be no such fairytale return to playing for the Wicklow selector though.
“(Evans laughs). No! Leighton has committed to being a selector and a coach and the maor foirne so he’s committed to that. You can’t turn the clock backwards.”
Even if Glynn is sitting in the dugout as opposed to on the pitch, Evans is optimistic about Wicklow’s 2018.
“We’ve everybody back in and I think for the first time in a long time, all the clubs are represented and behind the county team and that augers well. It’s a happy camp!”