Wexford still putting Paul Galvin insights to good use
Cup 2 Noonan/sportsfile Galvin O'byrne By Laois Eóin Paul During The Wexford Photo And Manager Round Match Wexford Between 2020
Wexford captain Liam Coleman says the Tailteann Cup hopefuls are still putting the lessons learned during the brief Paul Galvin era to good use.
Kerry great Galvin managed Wexford during the stop-start pandemic season of 2020, quitting midway through his first season before the Championship.
Four years on, John Hegarty is in charge of Wexford now but midfielder Coleman said that 2009 Footballer of the Year Galvin had a lasting impact.
"He had unbelievable insights into the game, insights our team still uses," said Coleman, whose side will play Antrim in Round 2 of the Tailteann Cup on Saturday.
"I suppose it was his first time managing as well. I remember him saying it himself, there were things he wasn't expecting, he wasn't expecting it to be as difficult or as time-consuming.
"He was obviously living in Dublin too, so travelling a lot. I think he definitely struggled with that. And he came in and I suppose he stirred the pot as well, dropped a few well-established players.
"It was controversial, it was probably not how you want to start any managerial campaign. But at the same time he was man enough to make those decisions and back his philosophy and his decision making.
"I think it was amazing to be around someone of his calibre, for such a young player as I was, but it ended very quickly. We were on the road down to Wexford Park for our first training session back after Covid and a text came through to say training is called off and a few hours later another text comes through to say he was stepping down. That was it."
Coleman believes Wexford should try to emulate the recent successes enjoyed by Louth.
"We'd look at them as a bit of a model for what we'd like to achieve and like to do," he said of the Leinster finalists who defeated Wexford at the quarter-final stage.