Paul Coggins is back involved with London as manager of the county’s junior team, and nothing less than All-Ireland glory will do.
By Damian Dolan
Twelve years after guiding the county’s senior footballers to a historic Connacht championship final appearance, Paul Coggins is back involved with his beloved London and he’s already set his sights on winning an All-Ireland. Indeed, Croke Park on 13 July is a location and date firmly pencilled into the diary of London’s new junior football manager. And nothing less than securing London’s seventh All-Ireland junior title – and first since 1986 – will do for the Granlahan, Co Roscommon, native.
“Our aim, 100 per cent, is to go and win an All-Ireland – it’s as simple as that,” Coggins told the Irish World. “That’s our aim and our expectation. I’m not hiding behind anything. People can say ‘you’re being big-headed’ – I’m not. I know how tough it will be.”
London’s fairytale run that sensational summer in 2013, which saw them beat Sligo and Leitrim on their way to meeting Mayo in the final, concluded with a fourth-round All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Cavan at Croke Park. Coggins is clearly intent on getting back there, only this time with the county’s homegrown junior team.
“I’ve come in to help London win an All-Ireland and I fully believe that we have the capability of doing that, as long as everyone puts in the required effort, and we can get the players we need on board,” he continued. “We’re going to go for the British championship and then we’re going to go and win the All-Ireland championship.”
London’s juniors have been knocking on the All-Ireland door ever since the competition was given a makeover in 2022. Twice they’ve gone down all guns blazing against Kilkenny in the semi-finals at Abbotstown, before last year making it to the final only to lose out to New York by a point at Croke Park.
Coggins has nothing but respect for the job done by the previous management team of Stephen Lynch, John McNamara and Fergal Cunningham, who came very close to delivering that seventh title. Lynch and Co can, however, reflect on ending London’s 13-year provincial wait by being crowned British champions in 2022, and again in 2024. “They did a fantastic job. It’s very difficult to get it all together and they came extremely close,” said Coggins.
They also oversaw the monumental switch to the side becoming an entirely homegrown team – a move which has already paid dividends with Josh Obahor, Shay Rafter and Tighe Barry all using it as a stepping stone to Michael Maher’s senior set-up. The foundations would certainly seem to be there for Coggins to help the team take that last, yet enormous, step to becoming All-Ireland winners.
Mayo’s escape
Having enjoyed success as a manager with Tir Chonaill Gaels, Coggins was appointed London senior boss for 2011. His first championship game in charge saw the Exiles come within minutes of pulling off what would have been arguably the greatest upset in GAA history, when James Horan’s Mayo needed extra-time to escape Ruislip. A few weeks later, London beat Fermanagh in an All-Ireland qualifier to give the county its first championship win since Leitrim in 1977.
Coggins stepped down from the job in 2015, following an All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Cavan at Ruislip, and returned to club management. He enjoyed further championship success with Tir Chonaill Gaels’ senior team, as well as guiding the club’s homegrown team to a historic junior title in 2018. Last year, he took St Kiernan’s junior side to a county final, where they gave a very good Tara team a run for their money.
After taking some time away from the sport to care for his wife Ann, who sadly passed away in November 2022, Kiernan’s was a welcome opportunity for Coggins. “I really enjoyed getting back into it last year with Kiernan’s,” said Coggins, whose son John Paul plays for the team. “The whole set up was brilliantly ran and they’re a good bunch of young players, and I just enjoyed it so much.”
I’ve come in to help London win an All-Ireland and I fully believe that we have the capability of doing that…
Long before he made his mark as a manager, though, Coggins was part of the London team which gave reigning All-Ireland champions Galway a scare at Ruislip in 1999 in the Connacht quarter-final. He can also boast to having played in an All-Ireland JFC final, in 1995. That year, he helped PJ McGinley’s London juniors take the scalp of Kerry (2-10 to 1-12) in the semi-final at Ruislip, only to lose out to Mayo in the final, 3-9 to 0-10, at MacHale Park in Castlebar. Coggins, then a Desmonds player, started both games. “I’ve huge pride in wearing the London jersey and bringing London success. So, I’m honoured to now do the [London junior manager’s] job,” he says.
Great occasion
London get their British title defence underway on 5 April against Warwickshire as the curtain-raiser to the Connacht SFC clash between Maher’s senior team and Roscommon. “I think it’s a great occasion for players to play in Ruislip on that day, and to play a team as strong and experienced as Warwickshire will certainly show us where we are at that point,” said Coggins. Hertfordshire make up Group A with all three sides guaranteed a semi-final place. The other semi-finalist will come from Lancashire, Scotland, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, who’ll slug it out in Group B. The semi-finals are fixed for 1 June and the final for 22 June. The All-Ireland semi-final is on 11 July.
We’ve got to see a day when the majority of the London senior team is London born.
“We’re not saying it’s going to be simple, because we know how good Warwickshire are,” said Coggins. “Hertfordshire are improving all the time and we know the other counties can be strong. It’s a huge test and we’re definitely not taking anyone for granted. “But we’re London and we expect to be successful – and that’s it.”
Dave Byrne, Adam Askin, Paddy Bowles, Eddie McGivney and Mort Reidy are all on board as part of Coggins’ management team. Bowles was involved under Lynch last year, having previously also managed London ladies for several years.
The last of three open London trial sessions took place last weekend with Coggins’ final panel to be confirmed imminently. “Even without last year’s squad we’ve had up to 40 players take part, wanting to play for London, so how can you not be positive about the future,” says Coggins.
Homegrown future
London juniors feels like a natural fit for Coggins; his tenure as senior manager saw him bring through players like Liam Gavaghan, Philip and Killian Butler, Alfie McNulty, Aidan McGarvey, Tom Waters, Liam Gallagher and Sean Hickey. Something which his successors, Ciaran Deely and Michael Maher, have carried on. “All the London managers have done that after me; Michael has really pushed it on,” said Coggins. And while winning provincial titles and All-Irelands is the goal, providing a stepping stone for young homegrown players to reach senior is also an essential role of the junior team.
It’s a view Coggins wholeheartedly subscribes to. “We’ve got to see a day when the majority of the London senior team is London born,” he said. “I see this as a big challenge, because we don’t just want to win an All-Ireland, we also want to develop these players and make them better and stronger.”
He sees the facility at Hazelwood, with its full-size floodlit pitch and onsite gym, as having the potential to be a gamechanger for London’s county teams. “It’s a fantastic facility and we will hope to use it to make sure that we’re the best prepared team which ever set foot in Dublin on that Friday night on 11 July,” says Coggins.
“It’s something no London team has ever had; we’ve always just done our best – and the county board has done its best – but to have that facility is going to make expectations higher, and it should do. “Players are training in a better facility; there’s no excuses. All of the teams will improve from that, and it will only improve their chances of success. “It’s a 100 per cent positive step forward and it’s great to see.”
The success of Tara’s largely homegrown side in winning London and British junior titles last year, is another reason for optimism, while TCG and St Kiernan’s junior teams are made up entirely of London-born players. “There are a lot of young players looking to get involved and it’s great to see, and we’re going to help them develop and the county board has promised to help with that. There’s a lot of new ideas in place,” adds Coggins.
“And there’s no reason why some of the lads from this year’s London junior squad can’t step up [to senior] in the next couple of seasons and make their mark. And that’s what we want. I think the day will come when you’re going to have to rely more heavily on your homegrown players in the London senior squad.”
First things first, getting to Croke Park on 13 July and bringing home an All-Ireland junior title is the goal for Coggins.
