It's almost four weeks now since Wicklow claimed the football league Division Four crown with a stunning 2-16 to 1-11 victory over previously-unbeaten Fermanagh at Croke Park.

That victory is extremely significant in that it means the current crop of Garden County footballers can look forward to playing outside the basement grade for the first time in their careers. Wicklow's star is in the ascendant and their new manager Harry Murphy has made quite an impression already in 2012.

There are more pressing matters looming, however, for Leighton Glynn and his team-mates. On Sunday, they travel to Dr Cullen Park to cross swords with once-mighty Meath in the first round of the Leinster SFC. The stage is set for a fascinating contest. Whereas in the past Wicklow would normally go in against the Royal County as virtual no-hopers, this year is different…

Whilst the Garden men were making history during the Spring, Meath in contrast endured a league of discontent, crashing from Division Two into the third tier (while attaining Division Three status is seen as a major achievement for Wicklow, it is nigh on embarrassing for Sunday's opposition) before the knives came out for manager Seamus McEnaney. The Monaghan man survived the subsequent vote of no-confidence but the fact of the matter is this: Wicklow go into this weekend's game on a high; Meath on a low.

So how do the traditional underdogs approach this game? Is it important to look forward rather than back? Must they consign the league success to the past? "That's exactly it - we have to leave the league behind now," says attacking talisman Leighton Glynn. "That's done and dusted and, while it was great to get promotion, we have to concentrate on Meath in the championship now. It's going to be a big ask but we have been preparing for this match for a long time now, in fairness. We decided to move on as soon as we beat Fermanagh at Croke Park and we've been looking at this match ever since."

Time to come back down to earth, perhaps? Time to get out of celebration mode? Glynn says that isn't going to be an issue: "Getting out of Division Four was a big monkey off our backs but there was no major celebration anyway because we clinched promotion against Clare and then hadn't time to celebrate as we were playing the final in Croke Park the following weekend and you obviously want to go up and get the silverware. We played the league final on the Saturday and then we were back in training on the Monday night, looking to the championship. So we didn't really have time to dwell on it."

Glynn's fellow Rathnew clubman Harry Murphy has made an instant impression as Wicklow manager. Mick O'Dwyer may be a tough act to follow but Murphy has so far been taking it all in his stride… "Harry has done brilliantly. He's only been in the job six or seven months and he has really freshened things up and he has got us playing good football. The players have rowed in behind him 100%. He's put together a very good squad, with lads who are hungry for county football, and the players have responded."

Can the role of the manager be overstated sometimes, though? Granted, the manager has a role to play but at the end of the day it's the players who have to produce the goods. "Harry has done a fantastic job. I would have played under him all through at club level and I'm familiar with what he brings to the table. The sign of a good manager is getting the best out of the players at his disposal and he is brilliant at that. It can be overstated, at times, I suppose, but the job Harry has done has been great.

"He has great inside knowledge of everything that's going on in the county, having been involved with Rathnew for the last 20 years," the team captain continues. "He would know every footballer in Wicklow and all the players would have tremendous respect for him. They'd know all about his record of winning senior championships. Harry took over the Wicklow team and he just gelled it all together straight away."

Is this the best football Wicklow have played since Leighton joined the county set-up? "It's hard to say. We have to remember that what we've done so far this year has only been in the league and it's the championship that really matters. This year has definitely been the best we've played in the league but we realise we have to transform that into the championship because that's what we'll be judged on at the end of the year.

"We would be looking to kick on again. But we face a huge task against Meath, who are a proven championship side."

One thing that hasn't gone unnoticed in the national media is that Meath V Wicklow is now an all-Division Three clash. Has the playing field levelled our somewhat? "Well, if you look at it we are after playing in Division Four and they were in Division Two this year. So, even though they were relegated, they were playing at a much higher level and they will have benefited from six or seven tough games against very good opposition. We won't have played against the same quality. No disrespect to the teams we played but Division Four is well below Division Two."

Have the Garden County got a genuine chance of springing an upset, though? "I definitely think we have. We have that extra bit of confidence coming from the league and we have been playing good football, so we're not going to be overawed. I think it will be a good contest.

"But we know it's going to be a big ask against Meath. It's only two years since they won the Leinster championship and, even though the final was controversial, everyone forgets how well they played up until that. I have always said that Meath are an excellent championship team and, after the league they have endured and the criticism they've received, they will be very keen to shut a few people up. I'd expect a backlash from them, but we'll be ready for that. So it should be a cracking game of football."

Last Sunday, Longford were in a similar situation to the one Wicklow find themselves in this weekend. Having secured silverware during the league, they went into the Leinster SFC against Laois - who operated two divisions above them and were relegated - but maintained their momentum to clinch a famous win. Does that precedent offer Leighton and his team-mates some added encouragement?

"Longford are making great progress and the challenge is to bring that league form forward into the championship, which is played at a higher intensity. They showed that it can be done and they fought back well. Hopefully we can produce something similar."

Wicklow also benefited from playing a competitive game in Croke Park while Meath were sitting around feeling sorry for themselves at the end of a miserable league campaign… "It was nice for us to be the ones to get the extra game for a change," Glynn admits. "We're usually the once kicking our heels. That extra game kept us ticking over and the confidence that comes with the win is also important. For once, we're going into the championship with a bit of momentum."

Looking beyond the summer to next season's league, can Wicklow set their sights on back-to-back promotions and perhaps playing Division Two football? "Roscommon and Longford have done it and Antrim and Sligo also went straight from Division Four to Division Two, so we'll be looking at that.

"It's very hard to get out of Division Four. I think getting out is possibly the hardest part, although we have no experience of anything else so I'm not speaking from experience. Put it this way: to get into Division Three you have to finish in the top two but to stay there you only have to get into the top six. So we definitely fancy our chances of at least staying in Division Three." Tweet

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