Conall McKeever says that they're exactly where they want to be as they begin preparations for a tilt at promotion to Allianz Football League Division 1 next Sunday.
The Wee County were plying their trade in Division 4 as recently as 2021 but they now face a shootout with Dublin at Croke Park to decide who will be joining Derry in going up to the top flight.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Their run has seen them defeat Kildare, old foes Meath and then Cork this afternoon to keep their fate in their own hands. Louth hadn't beaten Cork since a league game in the early 1990s, and they'll have to bridge another long gap if they're to deny Dessie Farrell's Blues an immediate return to Division 1.
It was 1973, before the coming of the Kevin Heffernan-inspired modern era of the Dubs, that the Wee County last secured a victory over the Metropolitans in a replayed Leinster Championship fixture.
For McKeever, who was speaking on RTÉ's Sunday Sport, next Sunday's meeting at Jones' Road is a just reward for the hard work undertaken since Mickey Harte's arrival as manager.
"That's exactly what you play football for," he said.
"We're all buzzing now. Obviously our full focus was on Cork but now, what more do you want? It's pretty much a promotion final against Dublin in Croke Park.
"There's been some tough years in Division 4 where the atmosphere (around the county) wouldn't have been as good, and you wouldn't have as much of a crowd at the games.
"It's positive at the minute, and around Dundalk there's a positive atmosphere, and more talk of Gaelic around the place.
"That's what you want."
Their opening day slip against now relegated Clare seems a long time ago, and this afternoon they produced another stirring finish to claim the two points at Ardee.
It would take over an hour for them to lead for the first time against Cork, but they were then able to hold on and set up next weekend's showdown.
"We made tough work of it; we didn't play well for a good chunk of the first half, and we kicked a lot of wides in the second half," McKeever continued.
"In the last 10 or 15 minutes we really pushed on, put them under pressure, and it was a great win.
"When you look back it's mad! Two years ago we were in Division 4 and the goal at that stage was to get out of that, and now we're one game away from getting out of Division 2.
"It's exactly where you want to be."
