Lure of the Tones too much to resist for McCoy

Just under 12 months ago Shane McCoy was pondering a break from the sidelines having endured the heartbreak of watching his Meath Hill side get relegated after just one season in the senior championship.

A relative rookie on the coaching and managing scene McCoy had done a remarkable job with Meath Hill, after being a part of the Louth set-up under Wayne Kierans, guiding them to the Meath IFC in 2024, but when Meath Hill lost out to St Colmcille's in the relegation final on a cold, damp October night in Dunganny the Roche Emmetts man who transferred to Drumintee in Armagh at aged 19, was looking forward to a break.

However, Wolfe Tones had other ideas. With Paddy Martyn stepping away the Kilberry/Oristown side needed a new manager and McCoy was very firmly on their radar.

"Coming away from Meath Hill at the end of last year I wasn't sure what the intentions were for the coming year, whether there was going to be any coaching at all and then I got a phone call from Wolfe Tones and it's something that you definitely can't turn down," recalled McCoy who has brought his good friend and former Seneschalstown coach Ciaran Marks with him on his coaching ticket.

"It genuinely was a case that I might want to to do a small bit of a reset. I'd done three pretty good, hard intense years in Meath Hill, but when the phone call came from Wolfe Tones I went over and had the conversation with them, done a little bit of background homework. Made a few phone calls to a few of their ex-managers and when you talk to the ex-managers and they're selling the quality of the club and the quality of the players that you're going to be working with, it's kind of a no-brainer then to take the opportunity to come into the club.

"They've made us very welcoming and I took Ciarán (Marks) along with me. Ciarán has a great knowledge Meath football as well with his time in Seneschalstown, so that was a big help for me, his knowledge was definitely something that I needed to utilise for the whole season.

"That opportunity to manage a club that has that stature was just too good to turn down. In terms of intentions for the year ahead it was kind of a case just getting in and seeing what you have to work with and seeing what the numbers are like and the quality that you have and then it's coming up with a game plan that suits to the lads.

"It wasn't always the intention to get the championship final right from the offset because you're not sure of what level of engagement you are going to get from the boys, but as the year went on we're getting some results and a lot of quality onto the pitch and then some of the lads coming back from Meath obviously boasted that as well.

"As we're getting closer to the championship time we thought we were in a good place and lads were well conditioned, they were playing a good style of football that they were enjoying."

After enjoying success and heart break with Meath Hill the levels of expectation rose again for McCoy when he took on the Wolfe Tones role, but he feels the experience he gained with Meath Hill has made him better equipped to deal with higher expectations.

"Expectations are a little bit different here. I didn't expect to get relegated last year to be honest with you, I thought we acquitted ourselves pretty well, but looking at this year obviously there's different targets within the group and you know you talk to any of the more seasoned players that's on the squad and the ambition is always to win the championship.

"When you've got a group of lads that's ambitious and they're willing to do the work then you know you get the days like this.

"We've big numbers there training, 34-35 lads. We had a conversation right from the off with them and asked them what their intentions are, and whether you're number one on the sheet or you're number 34-35 on the sheet you still get the same time and same efforts from us.

"I say there's enjoyment around the group and you know that when you're getting 30 lads training constantly and they're enjoying it then you can get to days like this."

Having gone straight into coaching within weeks of finishing playing just four years ago McCoy has enjoyed remarkable success, but he is acutely aware too that it won't always be like this that is why he is determined to enjoy the current journey and he wants his players to do the same.

"We've a lot of a lot of phone calls and a lot of conversations with some of the lads sharing their experience of what they've learned over the last couple of final encounters. We're going to treat it as another game really and whatever happens, happens.

"The work has to happen on the pitch , we're going to limit the amount of distractions that's going to be coming up but the boys will be well prepared, it's been a good roller coaster so far," concluded McCoy.