“When we saw the draw you’re like, ‘that’s a great one to get in Pearse Park’, because when we played Leitrim in the league, it was doubled up. The ladies were playing Leitrim before it and there was a super day in the park,” says Fox, who will turn 33 in a few weeks.
Longford won the Division 4 league encounter by six points and there will be added edge with the presence of Mickey Graham in the opposing dug-out.
“I know Mickey extremely well so there’s always that bit of overlap too, wondering what he’s going to bring to it because he’d have a good handle on the Longford club scene too,” says Fox who was part of successful Mullinalaghta teams previously managed by Graham.
Despite beating Leitrim in the league, Longford failed to earn promotion as their neighbours took the second spot behind Laois.
“We gave ourselves a chance on the last day against Wexford,” says Fox. “We fell flat that day. Probably a combination of things, Wexford are dark horses for this competition, they were very, very good that day. We were a little bit off and if you’re off at all you’ll get caught.”
A poor start ruined their chances of an upset in the Leinster SFC against Meath, where they lost by seven points in the preliminary round.
Fox expressed the hope that Longford could find better consistency during the Tailteann Cup, but they were no match for a revitalised Kildare in the opening round.
“Last year we got four championship games out of the Tailteann Cup and then the fifth one was the Leinster Championship. So for the likes of us, that’s huge.
“When I first started playing, depending on who you got, if you got knocked out in the first round of Leinster you could have a five or six-week lay-off then. I remember one year [2019] where we got Tyrone, who got to an All-Ireland semi-final that year, in the qualifiers. We ended up losing by [four] points, it was a good performance, but your championship was two games whereas last year I played five – so for the younger players, that’s huge as well.”
Fox remains in touch with Graham, even though they will be on opposite sides on Sunday.
“He’s a super manager, super man-manager. Very clued-in tactically and that kind of stuff so yeah, and I’m not surprised then to see Leitrim get promoted then this year, that bit extra that he helped Andy [Moran] with.
“When we played them in the league I met him before the game and was chatting to him for 10 or 15 minutes before the game, just general like, you know what I mean? I’ve a good relationship there with Mickey and if you’re ever in Cavan during the summer then as well he’d be always knocking around to meet you for a pint or something.”
Fox didn’t make the Longford senior panel until he was 26.
“Well I suppose I was a bit unlucky. I had a few injuries. When Podge Davis was over the Longford U-21s I did my cruciate ligament just before the first round of the championship and then I came back the following year, did the other one, so that was probably two, three years before. So then you’re looking at 23, 24 and then yeah, I suppose, it took a year or two then.”
The man-marking role Graham had him doing for the Mullinalaghta also brought him up against leading players outside the county.
“It gives you a real chance to put yourself in the shop window, to try to say, ‘I’m worth a shot here’. It worked out for me,” Fox added.
