When John Evans was a detective Garda, he had a little trick that allowed him to wash away the thoughts on bad days on the job.
As he passed over a bridge near his house he rolled down the window and parted with the events of the day.
"I didn’t take it home," said Evans.
“It took me a while to deal with it all, but I tell you what used to help me. I remember we were investigating three murders in 15 months.
"I’d go home to train a team and come back into work and the other guys would be having tea and coffee and sitting down and I just was absolutely refreshed because I had something to go to.
“You don’t be consumed with the one thing. I had my sport. I came in after a shower, having been sweating and running and shouting and venting, whatever I’d vent."
Now 62, the Kerryman retired from the job a decade ago.
“Best decision I ever made," he quipped. "It’s a strange thing.
“I was at my peak and at my best in the line if work I had been in, I was a detective and went through some really, really challenging cases, and we had successfully came to a good conclusion, we’ll put it like that and I decided, 'yeah'.
“It’s about getting out on a high."
But there's one aspect of the detective work that hasn't left him as he makes the four-hour journey to Wicklow twice a week.
“It’s makes you more astute and more diligent in your preparation," said the Garden County boss, whose side face Kildare in Netwatch Cullen Park this evening.
“You learn that the smallest detail becomes the most important.
"I heard a quote their recently was it by one of the Munster Rugby lads. He was very close to it, the way he said it, something like, ‘We make huge progress by looking after the minute thing's.
"Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
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The same applies in terms of developing a consistent, competitive Wicklow team and a conveyor belt of talent, but Evans, who is in his second year in charge.
"It needed a lot of changes in Wicklow and the county board have answered that handsomely, they are more professional about it" he said, outlining the work that former county great Kevin O'Brien is doing with the Garden County academy and under-17s.
"The younger players would have far more respect for the jersey and the county when they see themselves being treated properly and professionally."
He has no intention of stepping away from football any time soon, but there's no guarantee he will stay with Wicklow in the medium to long term.
"My idea is to hand it over to whoever is coming up along the line, maybe Leighton Glynn and Kevin O'Brien. I don’t know, I don’t control that.
“But I just want Wicklow to be in a much, much better place than I found it.”
As for the present day, Evan is realistic about what Wicklow are facing. “Ah sure look, Kildare are in Division 2, they should be in Division 1," he said.
“Last year, you wouldn’t know what to make of them.
“We'll be going to give it a game. They are our neighbours. We’ll be hoping to account for ourselves pretty well, as best we can. At the end of the day, if things go really, really well then I think it could be close".
VERDICT
Last year 'Newbridge or Nowhere' was Kildare's catalyst for wins over Mayo and Fermanagh to reach the Super 8s, where the wheels came off.
They were competitive in Division 2 but the loss of Daniel Flynn is massive for a team that struggles to finish chances but that shouldn't matter at the Carlow venue for this game, despite the improvements made by John Evans to Wicklow.
Kildare to win comfortably.
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