Longford manager Mike Solan hoping to cross the first hurdle in the championship

On Sunday Longford host Wicklow at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park in the first round of the Leinster Senior Football Championship with the big match getting under way at 3.30pm.

Wicklow will be favourites, having beaten Longford by nine points in their league encounter back in mid-February in Aughrim, and they also finished third in Division 4 while Longford ended up in a disappointing sixth place.

Looking ahead to Sunday's clash, the Longford manager Mike Solan admitted that although the league campaign was disappointing, they did play almost thirty players in the competition as part of a rebuilding process for the Leinster Championship.

“We did use a lot of players in the league and we have a lot of young players involved in the squad as well, so it will take time to rebuild. We were missing players in our last league match against Wexford including the four panel members who are part of the Under 20 squad.

“A lot of players have got their league debuts this year and we have been trying to build the base of the panel as wide as we can. In fairness to the lads, they have put in a lot of hard work and effort, and hopefully, that will be reflected when we take on Wicklow. 

“To have them at home is very exciting, there should be a great atmosphere and we are looking forward to the challenge at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

“Since the league finished two weeks ago, we have had a chance to assess all the bodies. We have a few players carrying injuries over the last few weeks, so hopefully, they will all come right and we will have a fully fit squad for the big match.'

Despite only recording two wins over London and Waterford in the League, Longford did draw against eventual Division 4 champions Limerick in the opening round and Solan is hoping that they can replicate that encouraging display against Wicklow. 

“That was a very good draw against Limerick and even more so considering that they got promoted. There was also that narrow one-point defeat to Tipperary away when they scored that late two-pointer to win the match. 

“The narrow wins against London and Waterford will also stand to us. We are more than capable of producing a great performance against Wicklow.

“Teams have often bounced back from league defeats to beat the same opposition when they clash in the championship, but we will be just focusing on having our preparations right to get the players to the highest level possible to maximise our chances of winning on Sunday.”