Jimmy Fitzpatrick stands in the gloom of a falling dusk in Breffni Park. Of an age to savours the atmosphere in Cavan as the county adjusts to being back in the big timeafter such along wait have doubted whether he would ever again see Cavan preparing for an All-Ireland match, he can remember being present at this venue for a famous encounter in 1933 when Cavan defeated Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final of that year.

He also reminisces with another bystander, John Wilson, former Tanaiste and Cavan footballer, about the days when a big match in Croke Park entailed a seven-hour bicycle journey to Dublin and the same when returning. Alternatively, says Wilson, you could bivouac in Trim and break the journey.

Tomorrow, when the county again descends on Croke Park, Cavan will be enacting with Kerry the latest instalment in a rivalry stretching back over seven decades.

Much to the relief of its younger generation, Cavan will have some contemporary credits when the 50th anniversary of the Polo Grounds final, the only All-Ireland to be played outside of the country, is celebrated this autumn.

In the 28 years since the county last emerged from Ulster, Cavan's status in football has been gradually eroded but even allowing for such a lengthy hiatus, it's an impressive record for a county with such a small population.

Only Kerry have more All-Ireland football titles per capita and only Dublin and Kerry have a greater number of provincial titles.

That's the history. In the present, the county seems just happy to be back on the track. Under the management of Donegal's former Footballer of the Year Martin McHugh, Cavan have progressed from Divisions Three to One of the National League and from not having won a championship match in eight years to their first Ulster title since 1969.

John Wilson played in the 1940s and won an All-Ireland medal in the Polo Grounds. "I'm very confident," he says. "We played Kerry in Thurles in the under-21 last year - and many of the players are the same on both sides - and even Kerry people admitted we threw it away. We shot too many wides and Kerry nearly none. Our forwards have improved, so when I say I'm confident, I'm not just basing it on balloons.

"The atmosphere in the county is unbelievable. Motoring around, you can see the favours and flags and what look like scarecrows dressed in the blue and white. It affects the county in the following way. It's a morale-booster for this generation, it revives nostalgic memories for previous generations and it revives pride in the old glories of the county."

This revival of pride causes its own problems. Barney Cully, the County Board PRO, has to cope with a public perception that Cavan was allocated 18,000 tickets when half that number is the reality.

Interest runs high even in the surrounding counties. "In Leitrim," says Cully, "there was a queue up the road like at a funeral outside Tommy Moran's (Leitrim County Board secretary) house."

Tickets, travel and atmosphere: one noticeable aspect of last Wednesday was that the talk is rarely enough about the match. The Ulster final and the defeat of highly rated Derry is a popular topic but the All-Ireland semi-final is more often presented as a logistical challenge rather than a footballing one.

In charge of the football, Martin McHugh is sceptical about the extent of the influence of managers. "There's a lot of good players in a lot of counties and a bit of organisation and discipline and good management goes a long way. But I'm not sure how much tactics have to do with it. It's a team game and you need players to perform. Of course, win and you're the greatest manager, but lose and you're the worst."

Self-deprecation aside, others find no difficulty in emphasising McHugh's contribution. Team captain Stephen King has waited a long time for this weekend to come around. His debut, in the league back in 1981, was closer to Cavan's previous Ulster title than to this year's.

"I suppose I had given up and yet I hadn't," he says. "From the arrival of Martin, I envisaged that there might be something in the offing. You could tell he wasn't coming to waste time. He put his cards on the table and there was no negativity.

"He changed the style of the team, made it more modern. I think that was one of the things holding us back. Other teams were modernising and we weren't."

Some anxiety surrounds the impact of inexperience on the county's efforts tomorrow. King has played many times at Croke Park, including for the Irish International Rules side in 1987 but his team-mates are far less accustomed to headquarters.

McHugh endured disappointing days at Croke Park during his career with Donegal before hitting the jackpot in 1992 but is not inclined to ascribe them to anything other than poor performance.

"There's not a lot to it. You get out and try and enjoy the buzz. They handled the Ulster final against Derry and there were 30,000 in Clones. Cavan people are so happy - I'm sure many of them thought they'd never see it again - but for the players, it's like a match at the back of your house. It's a pitch. It could be Kilcar, Breffni or Thurles. They're all the same."

In the crowds, among those happy people, Jimmy Fitzpatrick will hope to see the outcome of 64 years ago repeated whereas John Wilson undertakes to "cheer his guts out" as Cavan strive to put a fresh coat on those old glories.