Huzzah for the boys from Longford. Huzzah!

ALMOST 200 people gathered at a special function in Cork last night to pay tribute to Joe Gavin, who is retiring after 10 years as city manager.

IN football, as in life, as in the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival, the big wheel keeps on turning. On a cold, rainy morning in November 2004, I sat with Brian Kerr in the Red Cow Hotel on the outskirts of Dublin and the talk was of a World Cup qualifying campaign involving, amongst others, Ireland, France and the Faroe Islands. Now it’s five years almost to the day, and I’m back in the same venue sitting across from the same man and, once again, the talk is of World Cup qualifying and of Ireland, France and the Faroe Islands.

Ciaran Whelan and Alan Brogan, who both impressed as substitutes last week, have been recalled to the Dublin starting line-up for Sunday’s NFL Division 1A trip to Brewster Park to face Fermanagh (throw-in 2.30pm).