NFL Div 2 - Fermanagh v Monaghan

[Schkite]

Can hardly even hear it when they go to Brewster. When Nudie was giving his HT analysis all you could hear was the PA announcing some car licence number over him!

[Caid]

Aye and the winner of the half time draw...but sure it all adds to the atmosphere!

[FermPundit]

A disappointing result for Fermanagh but Monaghan were worthy winners. They are extremely fit and well organised. From a Fermanagh perspective we were missing too many key men today. Given our small playing resources we can ill afford to lose players of the calibre of Marty McGrath, Ryan McCluskey, Barry Owens, Ciaran McElroy and Tom Brewster. It was actually a very even first half but Monaghan's physcial strength around the middle made a big difference in the second half. Up front Ciaran Hanratty, Tommy Freeman and Paul Finlay all made postive contributions. For Fermanagh there were good performances from Tommy McElroy, Enda Ferris and Seamus Ryder. Particularly impressive was Shane O'Brien who was very solid at midfield and he also chipped in with a few points.

[Maguire01]

Great result and great to get a Fermanagh win under our belts at last - as well as the two points of course. McBennett kept us in the game with 2 great first half saves. Lennon and Clerkin fared well in midfield as well.

Bannon was a bit unpredictable and halted the game a few times when he should have let play continue, but i've seen him do worse. I'd like to see the offence for Dessie's second ticking and yellow card again - it looked like nothing to me.

Good crowd in Enniskillen for this time of year, but it took forever to get out of the town!

[FermPundit]

Great result and great to get a Fermanagh win under our belts at last - as well as the two points of course. McBennett kept us in the game with 2 great first half saves. Lennon and Clerkin fared well in midfield as well.

Bannon was a bit unpredictable and halted the game a few times when he should have let play continue, but i've seen him do worse. I'd like to see the offence for Dessie's second ticking and yellow card again - it looked like nothing to me.

Good crowd in Enniskillen for this time of year, but it took forever to get out of the town!

Unfortunately thats one fo the drawbacks of Enniskillen. It's not the easiest town to get in and out of for football matches. Was there any police present on the Dublin road directing traffic after the game?

[Maguire01]

Great result and great to get a Fermanagh win under our belts at last - as well as the two points of course. McBennett kept us in the game with 2 great first half saves. Lennon and Clerkin fared well in midfield as well.

Bannon was a bit unpredictable and halted the game a few times when he should have let play continue, but i've seen him do worse. I'd like to see the offence for Dessie's second ticking and yellow card again - it looked like nothing to me.

Good crowd in Enniskillen for this time of year, but it took forever to get out of the town!

Unfortunately thats one fo the drawbacks of Enniskillen. It's not the easiest town to get in and out of for football matches. Was there any police present on the Dublin road directing traffic after the game?

No - that was very poor. The police should have been there as the match traffic was at the mercy of the traffic lights at Dunnes. Should the GAA be notifying the police or what's the protocol there?

[GrandMasterFlash]

Didn't get to the games and had to make do with the dulcid tones of JP Graham and Nudie on NS (in between half time draw/cars badly parked announcements). How's the new boys fair out for Monaghan, young Downey seemed to drop the balll short but sounded like he showed well. Damien Freeman seemed off the boil when he came on.. Darren Hughes sounded like he covered a right bit of turf??

Any ratings Maguire01??

[haranguerer]

Couldnt get down to game, but convincingly beaten from what I gather. Looks like there mightn't be the cover for womble after all, certainly not when marty is missing anyway - o brien is classy, but need powehouses round the middle, certainly. How bads marty injured? Div 2's not gonna get any easier, need him back asap...

[timmyot501]

Good win for Moanghan yesterday.  Played very well in some patches with some well worked moves resulting in a few great scores (McManus' goal especially).  At other times we played ourselves into trouble and did manage to let Fermanagh back in with a shout towards the end.  But we did finish strongly with two late scores.  Clerkin seems to be a man on a mission this year and put in a mountain of work though his shooting did let him down badly on a few occasions.  Of the new boys, Conlon didn't last too long and isn't a corner back, Downey was good at times in the first half but faded as the match went on (scored a good point), McAleer got involved for the last few minutes and another couple of runs would do him no harm at all.  I'm not convinced with McKenna at full forward.  Missed a handy score but did win a few frees and showed well for a couple of attacks.  Its no harm trying these things out now though.

[donelli]

good win for monaghan.
played well, though relied on the old brigade again.

mcbennet (bar his mistake for the goal we conceded) impressed. Good save from the penalty. His kick-outs has come on a lot.

Conlon only lasted about 12 minutes. Thought it was a bit unjust on the lad...More time required for him to determine if he can make it..

Our midfield was very strong. Mcmanus played very well. Hughes is nearly there...ball can be a bit hot at times for him, but covered good ground.

Downey played alright. Needs more conviction, perhaps more confidence will bring him on.

Dont think big benny will make the this grade. He is unilikey to count when you need the score.

The team worked well for each other. Looked very fit and always gave an option to the man on the ball.

woods and mone both got yellows. Thought the panels should be increased to 30. Unfair on the lads training and not making the cut to the 24 named. Also with the introduction of 6 usable subs and the yellow card replacement system, more options on the bench would be preferable. Think the bench should be increased to number 30.

The season ticket worked well. Beat the queues at teh stiles and dont have to scramble in the  pocket looking cash. The admiossion price was €15/£13 for seated section  (€12/£10 terrace).

Programme at €2 is terrible. Just wanted it for player numbers, but an effort like that should just be given out free with admission.

[charlie linkbox]

My ratings (for what they're worth)........

Padraig McBennett: Generally sound and saved the penalty well. It was his rush of blood that led to the penalty though when he came way off his line for a high ball he couldn't have been sure of claiming. He might want to curb that enthusiasm a bit.

Dessie Mone: Had his hands full with Eamon Maguire. I may be in the minority but I thought he was correctly yellow carded. He's his own worst enemy as he has a tendency to commit needless niggly fouls. This'll have to be ironed out in training.

Vinny Corey: Didn't look comfortable in the first half under the high ball (see Fermanagh goal and penalty) but was excellent in the second half – won a few balls out in front of his man and mopped up most of what came his way.

James Conlon: Feel sorry for him to be taken off so early. He was a yard or so behind his man but he's not a corner back and I'd like to see him given a chance at No.3 of No.6 at some point. He's performed well in the McKenna and deserves another chance as he's a useful player.

Darren Hughes: Excellent. Always busy, tackled well and fairly, got forward when he could, and executed a brilliant block in the first half when Fermanagh could have had a second goal.  He'll be looking for a championship spot and rightly so on this form.

Gary McEnaney: Pleasantly surprised. I thought he played well and did whatever was asked of him. He should see more action as the league progresses as he has the potential to become a useful squad option.

Conor McManus: 1-2 from half back – can't argue with that. Showed great skill and composure for the goal. Played well.

Dick Clerkin: Went through a mountain of work and is in good form at the moment. Scoring isn't his forte though – he missed badly in the first half after a great run through the Fermanagh defence.

Eoin Lennon: Quiet enough yesterday despite the few trademark high catches, but we're still lost without him in midfield.

Stephen Gollogly: I'm struggling to remember any outstanding contribution from Stephen but that doesn't mean he was poor. His workrate alone justifies his selection. A lot of his work goes unnoticed.

Paul Finlay: Everything positive from Monaghan went through Finlay on the 40. He's our most gifted player on the ball. A couple of misses in the first half but what odds.

Mark Downey: Started well, hit a nice point, but was quiet thereafter. I'd like to see him get more game time though. He's the sort of player who needs to be developed to bolster our options on the bench.

Ciaran Hanratty: Showed well for whatever balls came his way and laid them off. Nothing spectacular but quietly effective nonetheless.

Brendan McKenna: I'm sorry but poor Brendan is out of his depth. For a man of his size he has no presence around the square, falls over whenever he does manage to win a ball in front of his man, and can't shoot. A full forward of any quality should not be missing that chance Brendan missed in the first half. Banty is right to experiment with tactics, but employing Brendan McKenna at full forward is doomed to failure.

Tommy Freeman: Tommy was Tommy and did what Tommy does.

Subs:

Gary McQuaid: A bit rusty but it was his first outing of the year so I wouldn't get too concerned.

Dermot McArdle: I didn't notice him doing anything of note but if he was quiet it means his man was too, and that's all you can ask of a defender. He's still worth a place on the first 15 imo.

Rory Woods: He's still our best target man even if he is carrying a few pounds. The main worry is yellow cards. He got one yesterday and is liable to get one most days.

Paul McGuigan: Hit a fine point off his left leg. I think he's worth a starting place. I really rate his ability.

Damien Freeman: I hope I'm wrong but his best days could be behind him. He got his hands on the ball a right bit but I don't have the same confidence in him I once had. He still has a role to play even if it's from the bench this season as we're not blessed with a massive squad.

Stephen McAleer: Wasn't on very long but got his hands on the ball a few times and didn't do anything wrong. One for the future I'd imagine though. I can't see him making much impact this season.


As an aside........

What the hell was that wee girl singing before the game yesterday? Coz it definitely wasn't Amhrán na bhFiann. It was hilarious and cringeworthy in equal measure. It was like she listened to a tape of the national anthem, copied down what she thought were the sounds the words make, and ended up with some arrangement of sounds that no more resembled Amhrán na bhFiann that a fart of mine would. She was just trotting out random noises to the tune that weren't even words!!! It really was unbelievable.
   
I mean, in all fairness, who allowed her in front of the microphone without checking if she actually knew the song? She was an embarrassment to herself and Brewster Park.   

[Schkite]

Since when was McAleer on the panel? Don't think I seen his name when the panel was announced, is he only just called up?

[charlie linkbox]

I didn't know he was on the panel either until I read his name in the programme yesterday.

I haven't seen any sign of Barry Cuddy around the panel yet even though he was named on it so I wonder is McAleer a replacement for him for some reason (maybe Cuddy is injured?).

[Schkite]

Not sure about Cuddy, but he didn't get any gametime at all in the McKenna Cup so maybe he's injured alright. What about Martin Corey, was he in the programme? I would have thought he'd get a good bit of gametime in the McKenna Cup and league but no sign of him yet either.

[charlie linkbox]

Only 9 subs were named - the 6 I mentioned above who got on and Shane Duffy, Mark McNally and Kieran Hughes (Scotstown). No sign of Martin Corey.

It's a mystery alright.