Counties anticipate joys of return - except London

Confirmation that the GAC has drafted a provisional fixture list which will see the hurling and football leagues resume in April was greeted with general relief yesterday. After almost a month of uncertainty caused by the ongoing foot-and-mouth precautions, squads are anticipating a return to a normal spring schedule.

"Naturally, we will be very glad to get back," said Wexford hurling manager Tony Dempsey. "I was originally disappointed with the decision to play league games on consecutive Sundays - when you are preparing a team you need time in between games to work on various elements of the game. But the postponements will make us view our remaining matches in an entirely different light.

"With Cork, Derry and Kilkenny left to play, we face stiff competition . . . we are caught between wanting to do well in the league and sticking to our training regime. But it is the same for all teams."

According to Pat Holmes, whose Mayo side had engineered an impressive momentum in the NFL prior to the abrupt postponement, the uncertainty was the most difficult aspect of the lull period.

"Everyone fully understood the need to halt the league and the important thing for us now is to approach our games with the same attitude as we have done before. "It will be slightly different now in that teams will be playing on consecutive Sundays, which will quickly burn off any sense of freshness players might have developed over the recent weeks. But I believe it is no harm to play every week. There is nothing worse than training for a game that is four or five weeks away. We are delighted at the prospect of games again."

Wexford have not been on a field as a squad since their last league match against Waterford while Mayo have also cancelled sessions in deference to the foot-and-mouth precautions.

"I think it would be fair to say that the effect it has had on our schedule has been fairly dramatic. We are starting the championship on June 10th, which really is not far away. There has been some time lost in terms of developing upper body strength. But it is one of those things that couldn't be helped and in terms of the championship, I think it might make for good hurling. The emphasis might be more on ball work and sharpness than fitness and physique, which would be no harm," said Dempsey.

With a lot of teams still in contention for semi-final places, the concluding two rounds of the NFL promise some very competitive games. The prospect of delayed play-off games encroaching on the build-up to the championship is not something that worries Holmes.

"Listen, before Mayo even think of the semi-finals, we have to beat Meath. We are not looking beyond that. It's been quite a while since Mayo have been in a league final so we aren't thinking in those terms. We just want to maintain the form we were showing in the previous rounds."

For London's intercounty teams, however, the leagues are over. The GAC yesterday decided to exclude their hurling and football teams from the remainder of the league because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic in Britain.

A GAC statement stressed that the decision was taken with reluctance but that no other option was open. Previous league points and scores accrued in games against London will now be discarded.