IF it wasn’t the long, loping stride of a middle distance runner that first grabs your attention, or the athletic bursts from deep that have been a feature since arriving on the scene with Fermanagh, it might have been the name.
Josh Largo Ellis, Josh Largo-Ellis, Josh Largo-Elis… it goes on. Different articles (guilty as charged), different matchday programmes – even as recently as Division Three final defeat to Cavan 10 days ago - different interpretations.
In fact it may never have appeared correctly, not that he cares particularly. It is Josh Largo Elis for the record – “just the one ‘l’, no hyphen” – and the background is worth delving into, if only to shine a light on how his sporting story evolved.
Dad Lawrence was born and raised in Croydon, south London, the son of a Spanish father – Julio Largo Elis – and Scottish mother from Montrose. A Crystal Palace-supporting plumber working on building sites across the city, Lawrence’s introduction to Gaelic football came via a non-traditional route.
“Basically he would’ve been working with a load of Irish boys over there, they would’ve been playing Gaelic and asked him to come along…”
After meeting Geraldine Goodwin, a talented cross-country runner and camog with Irvinestown, the pair would eventually relocate to the Erne County around the turn of the Millennium before starting a family – twin boys Josh and Jack, older by three minutes, son Jay and youngest of the crew, Jessie.
GAA was soon a family focal point, parents and kids pushing each other on, and Lawrence became heavily involved with Irvinestown, coaching and managing at all levels, winning the county B championship with the reserves before leading the club’s senior side – which included Josh and Jack – to the 2021 Fermanagh IFC semi-final, losing out to a resurgent Erne Gaels.
But soccer was always there too, their father’s love for Palace passed on – the recent decision to replace Patrick Vieira with old hand Roy Hodgson not immediately finding favour in the Largo Elis abode.
“It feels like a bit of a backward step,” sighs Josh, a second year business studies student at Ulster University currently splitting his life between the Holylands and home.
“Vieira was doing well, it was the run of fixtures more than anything else that cost him, where the next fixtures are with teams below them, so I thought they’d have stuck with him.
“But Roy came back and got a few results so you can’t really say anything. He’s been round the block that long, he knows what he’s at. As long as he keeps them up, that’s all that matters…”
They held a season ticket when the Eagles were first promoted to the Premier League in 2014, with regular visits to family and friends worked around big home games.
Jack, currently at university in Liverpool, still gets down when he can but sporting commitments have long ensured Josh’s weekend calendar has little room for manoeuvre.
A talented soccer player on the books of Ballinamallard United, it was a constant balancing act between the two codes as Largo Elis flourished in both.
“That was always the case,” says Denzil McDaniel, who was over the twins’ 2001 year group at Ferney Park.
“Jack would’ve been probably more technical that Josh, he was very good, but just didn’t have the physicality at that stage. They played in the national league for five or six years from 2011, we had a very good wee team - Micheál Glynn plays for Larne now, Darragh McBrien is at Dungannon Swifts, then Conor Love was with the Enniskillen Gaels team that won the Fermanagh championship last year.
“But Josh always had a great engine, playing midfield and then centre-back. When we brought Fermanagh juniors to the Milk Cup, Josh won Fermanagh player of the tournament that year.
“He was on the verge of the Ballinamallard first team when the time came to make a decision one way or the other, and he hasn’t looked back. But, with his attitude and ability, he could have done very well at soccer too.”
St Michael’s College, Enniskillen’s remarkable run of success in 2019 – under the astute guidance of Dominic Corrigan - proved a huge turning point in terms of future ambition.
By then Largo Elis was part of the late Frankie Wilson’s Northern Ireland U18 team but rather than line out against England in a Centenary Shield clash at Redditch United’s Trico Stadium, the Fermanagh man was fully focused on his school’s Hogan Cup final against Naas CBS.
“Frank loved the Gaelic too so it was helpful that way – he understood. Frank was an unreal character,” said Largo Elis.
“It was a tough enough decision [between GAA and soccer] but then when you get that taste of success with the school, you want to go on and do it with your club, then do it with your county.
In the end that made it easier, but I look back and think maybe it wouldn’t be if St Michael’s hadn’t won the MacRory…
“That was a big moment, because from then I wanted to go on and play for Fermanagh.”
The Enniskillen men went on and lifted the Hogan for the first time, with Glynn bagging seven points at Croke Park. Yet while he opted to stick with soccer, goalkeeper Sean McNally, Luke Flanagan, Brandon Horan and stylish centre-back Largo Elis were soon drafted into Ryan McMenamin’s senior Fermanagh set-up.
Three years down the line, all four are mainstays of Kieran Donnelly’s improving side, but the learning curve will get that bit steeper when reigning Ulster champions Derry come to town on Saturday evening.
It will be a first return to Brewster Park for Rory Gallagher since calling time on a two-year stint with his native county, eventually taking up the reins at an Oak Leaf outfit destined for big things.
Largo Elis just missed Gallagher’s tenure but, as well as following from afar, has heard enough to know what is coming Fermanagh’s way at the weekend.
“Ah look, watching the run to the Ulster final in 2018, the Monaghan game, Eoin Donnelly’s goal right at the end, I was 16-17 odds but part of you is watching that thinking ‘maybe I could help them get there again one day’.
“I’ve heard stories [about Gallagher] from the boys, they said he was deadly, the way he had everybody ready for games, it was a different level. Derry are an unbelievable team, they proved it last year in Ulster.”
They did so again on the way to securing Division One football in this year’s League, with Fermanagh earning promotion from the third tier. The gulf in class was evident as Antrim were swatted aside by Armagh at the weekend, but Fermanagh followers will hope they are a little further along the line than a Saffrons side in their first campaign under Andy McEntee.
Last year the Ernemen gave defending All-Ireland champions Tyrone plenty before falling away in the second half, Conor McKenna’s introduction from the bench helping turn the tide in the Red Hands’ favour.
It was a valuable experience for Largo Elis too. Up against Conor Meyler, in contention for player of the year when Tyrone swept to Sam months earlier, he faced the kind of player he hopes he can become.
With Fermanagh having edged their noses in front during the first half, Meyler gave Largo Elis the slip just before the break, the Omagh man slaloming through on goal before slotting past McNally in goals.
But the young man’s head didn’t go down, a brilliant Largo Elis solo goal rattling the net as the Ernemen tried in vain to narrow the gap in the closing minutes.
What a pass! What a goal!
— Sky Sports GAA (@SkySportsGAA) April 16, 2022
⚪️A brilliantly-worked @FermanaghGAA goal from Josh Largo Ellis! pic.twitter.com/oD8ueRsFoD
“It’s a massive step up, especially when you’re marking Conor Meyler - he doesn’t stop running. But then when you’re running after Ultan Kelm at training you have to be up there too!
“There’s boys that help you. When Eoin Donnelly was there he would’ve helped me big style. Deccy McCusker now, the two Cullens [Che and Lee], just motivating you, if you make a mistake, getting you back going again, telling you it’s not the end of the world.
“The Cullens have been a huge addition to the squad this year, to have boys of their stature in the full-back line… like, they’ve just come back from three years out of county and been unbelievable. I don’t know how they do it.
“But this is a group that wants to achieve things - that’s why we were so disappointed losing to Cavan in the Division Three final there. Sean Quigley said to us a few weeks ago that they’ve played there three or four times in League finals and never won, so we really wanted to do it.
“We had played well the week before but, I don’t know, at Croke Park we made more mistakes, and every time we did Cavan punished us.
“Still, you have to keep things in perspective. At the start of the year people would probably have been more inclined to say we’d be relegated rather than promoted.
“Some people would kind of look down on us… that would annoy you to a certain extent, but then you want to go out and prove people wrong.
“Hopefully that can happen sooner rather than later.”
And there would be no better place to start than at Brewster Park on Saturday.
