Longing for a return to the glory days

IN Pearse Park on Sunday, among the large crowd braving the elements, there will be the old-timers evoking 1968, the year Longford footballers were feasting at the top table.

The county followed up their solitary Leinster title success with an All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry. Like many long-suffering Longford supporters, Denis Connerton remembers that day in Croke Park well.

Ultimately, tradition had the final say that afternoon but it was the crowning moment for the finest bunch of footballers to emerge from the midlands county.

Success comes in dribbles when you follow Longford. The odd victory in the championship, an O’Byrne Cup. Those dreamy days of the sixties, with a national league title (1966) and then their Leinster title, are a very long time ago indeed. Eight years after their league title, Longford played their final Division one game for three decades.

Now, they are back and, to welcome them on their return will be Kerry. Connerton, the Longford manager, is unsure but reckons it’s about 20 years since his county entertained the standard-bearers of Gaelic football. That was down in the lower reaches where Longford have been marooned since their greatest team split up.

In the past decade, Longford’s league history has been pock-marked by hard luck stories. Failing to grasp the chance of Division one football when it was presented on a platter. When Derry travelled down to Longford for a make-or-break promotion battle, midland supporters went to the game with a heavy heart. They had been in this position many times before.

Connerton, however, discovered a spine other managers lacked. Derry were defeated and Longford promoted. Connerton is in a realistic mood as he assesses his team’s prospects over the next ten weeks.

“My main aim is that we gain a level of consistency in the higher division and against the higher teams. That is all I am asking for. We ended last year on a poor note, losing three consecutive games to bigger teams, Westmeath in the league semi-final and then, Kildare and Donegal in the championship. We can’t afford to do that in this division.”

Luck seems to have deserted Longford as they prepare for the game. Despite beating Armagh in a challenge last weekend, they lost James Martin and Paul Ross to injury; in fact, the list has got longer with each passing week. Dermot Brady is out for Sunday, Trevor Smullen is a serious doubt, as is full-forward Niall Sheridan.

“There is great excitement in the town and county about this game. It is not every day Longford get to play Kerry, but we have been badly affected by injuries.

“Other counties can compensate. In Longford, we can’t. There are only 30,000 people in the entire county and our playing pool is limited. We need everyone fit all the time to make any sort of dent in Division one and at the moment, we don’t have that.”

Gavin Tonra, recognised as one of the best keepers in the country, will also be missing as he is still feeling the effects of a shoulder problem. Damien Sheridan takes his place. Connerton can also call on Shane Carroll and Cathal Conefrey in defence as both return from a year out of the game.

“It is going to be a huge experience for everyone involved,” Connerton says. “This is going to encourage young players in Longford to aim at playing for the county, to show them they can play against the bigger teams.”

Connerton is quietly confident his team can do Longford proud. “It hasn’t been ideal preparation with all the injuries, but I have no doubt that once the ball is thrown in on Sunday, everyone will be up for the game. This is a chance for our players to prove themselves against one of the best teams in the country.”

Tyrone are the next visitors to Pearse Park. “It is great to have teams like Kerry and Tyrone coming to Longford, but the unfortunate thing is we have only three home games: two of those are against Kerry and Tyrone.

“We also play Fermanagh near the end of the campaign, but we really need to pick up points from our home games if we are going to survive in Division one.”

While Connerton is adamant his players are not in Division One to make up numbers, he is approaching Sunday and the subsequent nine weeks realistically. Seven games in nine weeks against top-quality opposition is new territory for Longford.

“None of our players will ever have experienced anything like this before.”

Steven Lynch, who impressed with the U-21 side who reached last year’s Leinster final, lines out at wing-back while Micheal Kelly, star of the Longford minors in 2002, keeps his place in the half-forward line.

Longford (SF vs Kerry): D Sheridan; S Carroll, C Conefry, A O'Connor; E Ledwith, D Hannify, S Lynch; L Keenan F Coyle; M Kelly, D Blessington, P Barden; D Barden, N Sheridan, P Davis.