Pat Roe has joined the race to become the new Laois under 21 football manager after he was nominated for the position by his club, The Heath. The former Offaly, Wexford and Carlow manager will battle it out with his former Laois team-mate Leo Turley, 2003 Leinster SFC winner Chris Conway and the Portlaoise duo Mick Lillis and Mark Kavanagh, who are running together, for the right to succeed Eddie Kelly. The job is seen as an attractive proposition considering the same team won the Leinster MFC in 2007. Roe admitted to the Leinster Express that the position appealed to him: "I took a year out last year and I had thought about coming back. I'm selective over what I do and when the club contacted me to see if I wanted my name to be put forward, I was certainly interested in the job." Another of the candidates, Leo Turley, has confirmed he will have former All-Star goalkeeper Fergal Byron as part of his management team if he lands the job, although the proposed involvement of Niall Tully has yet to be finalised. "Fergal will be with me, but the rest of the team will have to be confirmed. I know Niall a long time and we'll wait until the interview process is over before we make any decisions." Turley has been managing teams since 1996 and was most recently involved with Confey in Kildare, where he currently lives. He also managed Blackhall Gaels to a Meath SFC in 2003, as well as managing his native O'Dempsey's in 2004 and 2005. Tweet

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