Derry assistant manager Tony Scullion lives in hope that they'll soon be able to compete with the top teams in gaelic football.

The Oak Leafers are scheduled to play host to Meath the qualifiers at Owenbeg on Saturday week and 1993 All-Ireland winner Scullion has faith in the footballing talent of his players.

They have, however, work to do on their on the training field and in the gym, he says.

"You always hope there'll be a squad of players come along that will have the ability and the willpower and make all those sacrifices that will get you there to the top with the best," he said to The Irish News.

"We're not a massive county but I still think we have good footballers in Derry.

"Sometimes I think to myself, do those lads really, really believe they're as good as anywhere else in the country?

"I'm convinced that Derry have a batch of players that can stand up against anybody. But at the minute, it's a work in progress. You have to be able to crawl before you walk.

"That's the situation in Derry at the moment. We have to get lads ready and primed and in the right physical condition to play at the top.

"When you look at the Dublins and see the condition they're in, that's what you have to aspire for."

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