Mattie McGleenan is confident that Cavan can enjoy an extended championship season.

The Breffni County bounced back from their Ulster SFC defeat to Donegal by easing past Wicklow last weekend and will take on Down in an all-Ulster second-round Qualifier at Brewster Park on Saturday week:

"We're at our strongest this year going into the Down game, which is class," their manager told The Irish News. "A year ago we went out of the championship at this stage.

"But this is an unbelievable competition. We've just gone through the coldest winter in league football in our history and now we've hit the summer time. Are we seriously not going to try and have a really hot summer and stay in this competition as long as we can?

"The next two or three weeks have the potential to be absolutely fabulous. Do we want to be sitting watching what's going on, or do we want to be involved in it?

"I know what I want and the players have the same idea - we want to be stuck in the middle of it and enjoying ourselves. Down is the next stepping stone that we have to negotiate to get back into the hat.

"The reality now is: if you lose it's over and we don't want that. Down were Ulster finalists last year and they are a huge step up after Wicklow and that is a great challenge for us."

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