Well, at least the colours will be broadly similar for the cap that Mickey Harte will wear for the next three years on the sidelines of the Louth Senior Football team.

In a statement issued last night, the Louth County Board said: “Louth GAA are delighted to announce the appointment of Mickey Harte as our New Senior Football Team Manager on a 3-year term.”

“The Errigal Ciarán clubman is one of the country’s most successful managers winning 3 All Ireland Senior Football titles in 2003, 2005 and 2008 along with an All Ireland Minor title in 1998 and two All Ireland Under 21 titles in 2000 and 2001 with his native Tyrone.”

“We are also delighted to announce that Gavin Devlin (An All Ireland Minor, under 21 and Senior medal winner with Tyrone) will be joining Mickey as Assistant Manager. Mickey and Gavin will also take charge of the County’s Under 20 team.”

“We would like to give Mickey and Gavin a very warm welcome to Louth and we look forward to working closely with them over the next 3 years. A special word of thanks to our sub-committee of Peter Fitzpatrick, Bob Doheny, Sean McClean, Aidan Berrill and Francie McMullen for their hard work over the last few weeks overseeing this appointment.”

Harte’s request for one final year at Tyrone was turned down by the County Board after their defeat in the Ulster Championship to Donegal, a decision which clearly stung.

There is palpable excitement among Louth fans on social media this morning with hopes expressed of a return to glory days of the past.

There is a context for that hope. Louth has won the All Ireland three times in its history, as many as Mayo and Tyrone and more than Donegal and near neighbours Armagh.

The last of those was in 1957 but again, that is six years more recent than Mayo. They have won eight Leinster Senior Football titles and led by a point in the closing stages of their last visit to a Leinster final, in 2010, before a controversial goal by Meath deprived them of the glory.

The senior team won two Allianz League Division 2 title in 2000 and 2006 while the county Minor team got to a Leinster Final in 2017 and will provide a youthful base for the new management team.

There are echoes of Paudie O’Sé who left Kerry in 2003 and led Westmeath to a Leinster title the following year.

The merry go round of Leinster Title victories is currently stalled at Dublin who won their tenth in a row on Saturday night but sporting history is littered with teams that it was once though could never be toppled, and with plucky underdogs coming through to claim their crown.

After a year we could never have imagined who wouldn’t swap the sense of excitement that is now sweeping through the clubs of Dundalk, Drogheda and Termonfeckin.

The 2021 season is just around the corner and it just got more interesting.

Sport for Business Partners