Mickey Quinn confident Tailteann Cup will allow Longford to build

Longford's Mickey Quinn is optimistic that the Tailteann Cup will allow his county - and others like them - to build and develop over the course of a number of years.

The midlanders host Fermanagh in the first round of the northern section on Saturday evening, their opening bow in the new competition.

Longford manager Billy Loughlin's comments prior to the league were widely circulated, the new boss bluntly declaring that Division 3 of the Allianz League was their priority and that "after that, we don't really mind what happens."

Having secured their Division 3 status with a final day win away to Laois, they were soundly beaten by Westmeath in the first round of the Leinster championship.

While there have been some public declarations of apathy concerning the Tailteann Cup, that mood doesn't appear to be predominant in Longford, at least on the basis of Quinn's gung-ho attitude.

The centre-back cheerfully admits that the secondary competition is the best place for Longford to develop, particularly in the current phase of their evolution, and the recent rate of player turnover within the squad.

"It was always something that was in the back of my head, come Leinster Championship," Quinn told RTÉ Sport at the Tailteann Cup launch last week. "Lookit, were we realistically going to be competing for a Leinster final? If yes, Jesus, great.

"But for me it was always there, and I had chatted individually to a few of the older lads. 'That's something there for us'. We had Westmeath, and then it was Kildare if we beat them.

"Everyone had to plan out your routes at the start of the year. You have Leinster, you have qualifiers, and now you have the Tailteann Cup. And your league campaign as well.

"Of all the competitions that you