Longford defender Michael Quinn could be forgiven for quaking in his boots at the thoughts of facing Dublin in a Leinster SFC semi-final, but that is certainly not the case for the experienced player.

The Midlanders booked their place in the semi-final courtesy of a first championship win over Meath since 1982 and their 'prize' is a clash against the all-conquering Dublin side that have dominated the provincial scene for well over a decade now.

Three years ago, the sides met in the Leinster SFC and as expected, Jim Gavin's charges ran out comfortable winners.

Quinn lined out that day and he is looking for a performance from his own side to help bury that nightmare.

"You want to play against the best. I suppose when playing against top class opposition it will see whether you need to improve or show you things you need to work on," Quinn told the Longford Leader.

"You have to be realistic about expectations against the best team in the country. The last time we played there we were a bit naive. We weren't as prepared as this year in a sense.

"One of the things about playing for the likes of Longford is that you want to play against the best, to be the best you can possibly be.

"If you are down and playing at a certain level all the time it's very hard to excel. It's an opportunity for you to build and progress against the stronger sides."

Follow our match tracker this weekend for a feast of action in both the football and hurling championships with live coverage from 15 games across both codes.

Tweet

Most Read Stories