Longford's Fox feeling positive ahead of Leinster SFC clash with Westmeath
Paddy Fox of Longford during the launch of the 2026 Leinster GAA Senior Football Championships at Killashee Hotel in Naas, Kildare. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Longford captain Paddy Fox finds it easy to take many more positives than negatives from his team’s extra-time defeat to Carlow in the Allianz Football League Division Four Final.
Sure, it would have been very sweet to win the game, but he takes solace from the fact the Midlanders gave a great account of themselves.
So much so that the mood music both within the panel and the county as a whole is very upbeat as they prepare for Sunday’s Leinster SFC Round 1 clash with Westmeath at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.
“I felt anyway that we emptied themselves anyway on the day and it’s just one of those things when the result doesn't go your way,” says Fox.
“In general, I was pretty happy with the application of the lads. That’s football unfortunately, someone has to lose.
“I kind of said to the boys, give the people of Longford something to shout about, because they haven't had much in the last couple of years.
“There was good support up there as well and it’s great now we have a home game against Westmeath.”
Longford supporters during the Allianz Football League Division 4 final match between Carlow and Longford at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
Longford’s promotion for Division 4 is all the more promising considering it was achieved with a young team with the potential to improve further.
A lot of experienced players have stepped away from the panel in recent years to the extent that Fox is now the only one left who is in his thirties.
“Oh yeah, in the last three or four years we lost so much experience. We lost Mickey Quinn, we lost Darren Gallagher, Danny Mimnagh, Mark Hughes, Rian Brady, loads of really good, experienced players, Paddy Collum last year as well, just experienced inter-county players and it takes a bit of time.
“Even if a young lad comes in now, even if he has the potential of a Darren Gallagher, it's very hard to fill that in year one or year two. It takes someone a bit of time to come in and develop.
“But, to be fair to lads, they're doing it. They're stepping up. Like, Daniel Reynolds has been massive for us this year. Matthew Carey, I think up in Antrim he had 12 points in the first half, something like that. And they’re all young lads, 22, 23, 24. They’re really stepping up and carrying the can to be fair to them.”
Dessie Reynolds is the second most experienced player left in the panel after Fox and at the age of 29 looks like he’s still getting better all the time.
He scored five points in the League Final from wing-back, including gone two-pointer, and Fox was delighted his team-mate got to show his quality on such a big stage.
“I know Dessie scores four or five points a game, but I would say Dessie’s our best back,” says Fox.
“He's just unbelievable. I'd have no problem putting Dessie on the team's best forward and be confident that he’ll shut him down. That's just Dessie. He's unreal, he's an unbelievable defender.
“I was actually delighted for him that people could see him (play well) because you probably wouldn’t appreciate how good he is.
“I'm sure other teams in Division 4 would know how good Dessie is. He's nearly unstoppable. When he takes you on 1v1, you're just not stopping him. He got a couple of plays like that in the League Final.
“He hit a two off the right. He skint a man then and hit a one off the right. Then he skint another man and hit a one off the left. Dessie’s doing that in his training every night of the week. I was delighted for him. Because he's a long, long time there now for Longford, at least 10 years anyway. It’s great that people can see that, on the national stage, how good he is.”
