Meath fans have hailed Andy McEntee as a 'legend' after the Royals boss stepped down from his role on Monday.
McEntee took over the job in 2016 and restored pride in the county with promotion to Division One Football and a Super Eights appearance in 2019 the undoubted highlight.
Things did turn sour with a much publicised fall out with the county’s executive committee voting against retaining McEntee but a county board vote saved the Royals boss.
But 2022 was one to forget for Meath as they languished to a midtable finish in Division Two and were well beaten by Dublin in their Leinster semi-final clash before crashing out to Clare in the qualifiers.
And McEntee opted to step down on Monday night and released a statement.
He said: “After completing 6 years as manager of the Meath Football team, I am stepping down from the position and will not be seeking a third term.
"It has been an honour to have been manager of the Meath Senior Football team and I’d like to thank the Chairperson of Coiste na Mí, John Kavanagh and former chairpersons Peter O’Halloran and Conor Tormey for their full support during my tenure.
"But most of all I’d like to thank all the players and management teams that I have worked with over the years. I wish the county every success in the future.”
And McEntee's daughter defended him after stepping down after hitting out at online trolls.
She wrote on social media: "I really hope the next manager doesn’t have a family with access to social media.
"I also hope I never raise anyone to be as pathetic as to abuse people from behind a keyboard. Would they put in an ounce of the effort and dedication he did?…doubtful."
And a number of supporters defended McEntee on social media after he stepped down.
One user wrote: "That's the thanks one gets for all his time and effort.. Every team has a bad run"
While another added: "It’s a snake pit now with social media I can guarantee one thing from the top teams to the lowest ranked there isn’t a player or a manager who goes out to lose this is an amateur sport for most counties theses guys all have to go do a normal days work who’d be a manager or county player"
While another added: "Andy is a top guy"
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
