It's a record that should be on everyone's mind.
Michael Foley famously wrote that Kerry were 'the Kings of September'. Well Longford are the kings of late June.
They may have helped damage the image of the provincial championship almost beyond repair after the frightful loss to Dublin, but Longford get the chance to extend an excellent record in Round 1 of the qualifiers this Saturday.
Given the engorged nature of the Leinster championship compared to the other provinces, every Leinster county that fails to reach the semi-final will end up in Round 1 of the qualifiers.
By contrast, should Sligo lose to Roscommon on Saturday evening, they will enter the qualifiers at the Round 2 stage, despite not having won a provincial championship match.
This is the fifteenth year the qualifier system has been in operation and this is the fifteenth year Longford have ended up in Round 1 of the qualifiers.
And they are on a remarkable run at the moment. They have won six successive Round 1 qualifiers, the most famous win coming in 2010 when they ended John O'Mahony's disappointing second spell as Mayo manager.
Here's the rundown:
2009: Leitrim 0-10 Longford 0-13
2010 : Longford 1-12 Mayo 0-14
2011 : Cavan 0-11 Longford 2-16
2012 : Longford 0-17 Derry 2-8
2013 : Longford 2-14 Limerick 0-9
2014 : Derry 2-14 Longford 2-16
No other county knows how to approach a Round 1 qualifier better than Longford. Since 2001, they have won a total of nine Round 1 qualifiers. They are the masters.
Their opponents are not especially intimidating but then both sides were probably happy with the draw. In as far as it's possible for a team like Carlow to get a good draw, this is probably one. Longford will enter the game as heavy favourites.
Sadly, Round 2 of the qualifiers has proven to be their Everest.
2009 : Longford 0-11 Kerry 1-12
2010 : Down 1-14 Longford 1-10
2011 : Longford 0-15 Tyrone 1-17
2012 : Longford 1-15 Limerick 1-21 (AET)
2013 : Longford 0-16 Wexford 2-15 (AET)
2014 : Tipperary 2-18 Longford 0-6
Still, what consistency. All hail Longford, the most consistent team in the championship...
Read more: A Provincial Success Story: Stephen Kenny And Longford Town
