Barden: Longford fired up for battle

THEIR qualifier success over Mayo in Pearse Park last July was one of the most uplifting stories of the summer but it’s the subsequent defeat to Down which Longford attacker Paul Barden uses for motivation in 2011.

“Mayo was a great scalp for us to take,” he admitted. “The home game stood to us that day and we caught them on the hop. But a lot of people forget that we played Down after that and we were beaten by only three or four points above in Newry in shocking bad weather. We conceded a penalty that we thought was pretty soft as well.

“All we can do is take the positives from it, when you see how they have progressed from last year.