Already condemned to drop down to Division 4, Longford at least managed to conclude their eight-year stint in Division 3 with a win as they overcame Antrim by five points in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.
A brace of goals from Keelan McGann and another from Darragh Doherty saw them triumph in a blisteringly high-scoring contest, albeit against an Antrim outfit which had nothing of consequence to play for.
In a game initially fixed for Saturday afternoon but postponed due to inclement weather, the midlanders started brightly, racing into a 1-04 to 0-00 lead early on, McGann rattling home the opening goal after 13 minutes.
While the visitors hit them for two quick goals, Longford steadied themselves and re-asserted their dominance for the remainder of the half, establishing a six point advantage by half-time, leading 1-13 to 2-04.
Paddy Christie's side held the Ulster side at bay in the second half, Doherty rattling the net early in the half, with McGann essentially sealing the victory with seven minutes remaining, notching his second to leave the score at 3-16 to 3-09.
Andy McEntee's side face into an Ulster opener against Armagh, following a rather confusing league showing, which incorporated a victory over promoted Cavan, a loss to relegated Longford, a highly competitive effort against a reinvigorated Down and a brutally one-sided loss to Westmeath.
As for Longford, who began the year brightly with an O'Byrne Cup success before a sobering league campaign, Christie conceded during the week that they "weren't hard done by" and "weren't good enough to be in Division 3".
Along with Tipperary, they descend to Division 4 and time will tell whether they can escape it as quickly as they usually have in the past.
