The lift that Laois needed

THE O’Byrne Cup is not normally a hot ticket. It’s the sort of competition reserved for the flat-capped die-hards with their tin-foiled sandwiches and black umbrellas.

Last year, there was no more than a hundred people in O’Moore park for Laois’ first round game. However, despite the very attractive foreign cup games on the telly, they are expecting a much bigger crowd tomorrow.

A match against Longford at the start of January wouldn’t usually transform even a Laois supporter into McExcitable, but then they are not used to welcoming legends in the county.