Conor Cox couldn't have imagined his debut season with Roscommon would have gone so well.

The forward scored 29 Championship points (14f) last year and was nominated for an All-Star as the Rossies claimed their second Connacht crown in three years.

Having played a handful of senior games for his native Kerry, the 27-year-old declared for the county of his father Martin's birth and quickly became a hit with supporters, a propensity for scoring outrageous points off either foot helping his cause.

Cox admits however that he had some doubts before making what turned out to be a highly successful switch ahead of the 2019 season.

"I was a bit apprehensive at the time wondering how it was going to pan out," he told RTÉ.

"But in fairness to the lads, as soon as I walked in they were very friendly, all introduced themselves and it was down to hard work then really, we were there to train.

"The players, the management, and the county board themselves, they made it fairly seamless for me. They were very helpful to me with regard to everything.

"Last year I made great memories with Roscommon and I've also made great friends so it's been a very, very enjoyable year.

"Since I was a minor, maybe 17 or 18, Dad was always in my ear that, 'Oh you know now you can come up to Roscommon', so it's always been there in fairness.

"But I'm just delighted last year to have actually taken the steps to make it real and I'm really looking forward to it this year and the next few years too hopefully.

"Everyone has dreams of playing inter-county in Croke Park so I definitely would have had those ambitions too. Playing with Roscommon against Dublin in the Super 8s last year, albeit the result didn't go our way on the day, it was a very enjoyable game to play."

Although he now works in Leitrim, conveniently enough for training in Roscommon, Cox continues to play his club football with Listowel Emmets.

"Last year I managed to get down for the month of April, the club month. We were unlucky enough, we didn’t reach the semi-final of our competition so I came back up to Roscommon. But I enjoyed playing with Listowel last year.

"I’m based in Carrick-on-Shannon. It’s not too bad, there’s a motorway from Tuam to Limerick that takes a good bit off the travelling. The commute to Kerry,  a lot of people think it’s bad but it’s actually not too bad really."

Conor Cox lining out for Kerry in the 2016 Allianz Football League

He insists Kerry people have generally been supportive of his decision to transfer.

"I think everyone in Kerry understands that football is a big part of my life so I'd like to think they are hoping I’d get on well up in Roscommon.

"The games are so competitive, even with club level, so you don’t have time to be giving much stick, you have to be focusing on your own performance."

Roscommon dropped down from Division 1 last year and although they are expected to challenge for immediate promotion back to the flight, a surprise second successive relegation would mean a team that has contested all three Super 8s stages so far would be consigned to the B Championship - unless they reached a fourth successive Connacht final.

"We're under no illusion about how difficult it will be to get points on the board in Division 2," said Cox, who Shannonside reported could miss the first three rounds of League games with a hand injury.

"In Division 2 over the last few years, there could be the kick of a ball between a team getting relegated and a team getting promoted. We're under no illusion the graft that we must put in over the next few weeks to get a few wins on the board.

"We're playing Laois in the first round (2pm Sunday) and we'll try to get a good performance there, maybe a victory."

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