‘I’m not going to start saying Longford are going to win this, that or the other, it’s about small notches’
Paddy Christie is making the step up to senior intercounty management with Longford after being part of the Tipperary set-up for the last three seasons. Photograph: Bryan Keane/InphoIn a different version of the story Longford would have been a stop off for Paddy Christie, but now it has become the destination.
“The Mayo thing was just something that came about really because I knew Declan. It would have been quite a distance to travel, but at the same time I just felt maybe I could have helped. They have been so close to winning an All-Ireland down through the years, so you’d be wondering if you could add that little bit that might help them to actually win it,” says Christie.
“I had managed the Tipp under-20s and also the DCU Sigerson team for the last few years, and in Tipperary I couldn’t say enough good things about the senior management there, I really enjoyed it and picked up so much. Longford's Niall Sheridan is challenged by Dublin's Stephen O'Shaughnessy, Paul Griffin and Paddy Christie during the 2005 Leinster Championship. Photograph: Tom Honan/Inpho
He sees the Tailteann Cup as a very realistic target, but progression in the league will be the priority when the 2023 season gets under way. Again next year the midlanders will be playing in Division 3, where they have laboured since 2016. And it must surely be written in the stars they will open their campaign against Tipperary, who gained promotion from the basement division this season.