Fermanagh Football & Hurling

[FermPundit]

Like most other Fermanagh fans if you were to tell me at the start of the NFL that we'd be sitting top of division three with 5 wins on the bounce I would have taken it. However, we must keep our feet on the ground and admit that we aren't beating the top sides in Ireland whereas Monaghan, who are also unbeaten in this league campaign are beating very strong counties such as Armagh and Meath. On paper there isn't much between ourselves and the farney county but given that they have been competing in a higher standard of competition they'll go into this summer's ulster championship full confidence feeling that they can not only beat Fermanagh in Enniskillen but go on and win this year's Anglo Celt.

Whilst this year's league campaign has gone well we still haven't achieved promotion just yet. Failure to beat Wexford this weekend and all the hard work of the last few weeks will have been undone. Hopefully Malachy can keep the lads focused and ensure that there are no slip ups this Sunday.

Yesterday's game was rather strange. Yes, we scored 0-17 but we only played well in patches and more consistent performances will be needed come championship time. One annoying aspect was our failure to kill the game off. With 7 points up with 5 mins remaining, Fermanagh took the foot off the pedal and let Sligo back into. We might get away with it in division three but not in the championship or higher levels of the NFL.

The main performers yesterday were the ever reliable Ryan McCluskey, Eamon Maguire, Shane Lyons, Tommy McElroy and James Sherry. With regards Sherry, at times yesterday he showed us just how good a footballer he really is. Some of the points he took from play were outstanding. Himself and Womble have started to create a good partnership in midfield. When Marty comes back from suspension I wouldn't like to see either player dropped. I've mentioned this a few times but I reckon Marty would be good option at full forward. Matty Keenan has also consistently scored throughout the league and has been a real find for the team and young players such as Tommy McElroy and Damian Kelly have grown in stature under the guidance of Malachy O'Rourke.

So far so good for Fermanagh. Hopefully come Sunday night we'll be celebrating promotion to division two and quietly looking forward to the ulster championship with a little bit of optimism.

[ExiledGael]

Sherry is an outstanding talent, perhaps our most talented if he can stay clear of injury, and must be on our starting 15. I think O'Rourke will include all three players in some capacity, at the minute i think your suggestiuon of McGrath in at 14 would be the most sensible, especially given his fitness concerns.

[ExiledGael]

BBC - Fermanagh 2-6 0-12 Wexford

Fermanagh secured promotion to Division 2 of the Allianz NFL after hanging on for a draw against Wexford on Sunday.
Mark Murphy and Eamon Maguire goals helped Fermanagh lead 2-2 to 0-0.
A brawl broke out as the teams made their way off at half-time with several players involved and Fermanagh's Shane Goan was handed a straight red card.
Seven Mattie Forde points helped Wexford to level and while Fermanagh went ahead again, they needed a late Damien Kelly point to salvage a draw.
Fermanagh's second-half display was disappointing but Down's surprising defeat in Leitrim meant that the draw was enough to secure promotion for the Ernemen.
The lively Eamonn Maguire missed an early goal chance for Fermanagh but the Ernemen did rattle the net in the eighth minute when Mark Murphy blasted home after a Maguire pass.
Provider Maguire notched Fermanagh's second goal almost immediately after a great lay-off by full-forward Martin McGrath.
Fermanagh's lead was eight when McGrath and Matthew Keenan added points and Wexford didn't open their account until the 24th minute when Mattie Forde pointed.
An ugly brawl broke out as the players headed towards the dressing-rooms at half-time with Fermanagh leading 2-3 to 0-3.
Several players from both sides were involved in the disgraceful scenes but the referee deemed that Fermanagh back Shane Goan was the only player who should receive a red card.
Wexford's PJ Banville appeared to come off the worst from the scenes as he trooped off with blood pouring from a facial wound.
Adrian Flynn and Mattie Forde hit Wexford points straight after the break to cut Fermanagh's lead to four before Tommy McElroy got the home side scoring again with a superb long-range effort.
However, Wexford were now controlling proceedings and four Forde points and a Flynn score enabled the Leinster county to draw level.
Admittedly, Fermanagh had missed a chance to kill off Wexford with 10 minutes to go when they squandered a glorious goal chance.
Matthew Keenan stopped the rot to nudge the Ernemen ahead again but Wexford looked set to have grabbed an unlikely victory as Forde and Colm Morris notched quick scores to put them one ahead with three minutes left.
Damien Kelly levelled for Fermanagh although Wexford missed an injury-time chance to win it when Flynn hit a free wide from a tight angle.
Flynn had taken the kick as Forde had been forced off the field because of injury.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fermanagh: C Breen, S Goan, S Lyons, D O'Reilly, D Kelly, R McCluskey, T McElroy, M Murphy, J Sherry, C McElroy, M Keenan, M Little, M McGrath, N Keenan, E Maguire. Subs: R Gallagher, M McGrath, D Campbell, R Johnston, S McDermott, N Leonard, P Johnston, L McBarron, H Brady, N Bogue, P Mohan, S Doherty, R Keenan, J McGurn, C Boyle.

I'd love to know who writes this crap sometimes. Disgraceful scenes? Shane Goan hit his man just before half time which the ref didn't spot. The umpire did and the ref noticed the umpire calling his attention just as the half-time whistle went. He obviously told the ref that Goan should go. As the teams were walking  to the changing rooms as normal and in peace the ref ran the length of the field to show Goan a red card before he could get into the dressing room. Everyone stood up to see it and the players were all in the vicinity but that's it. No argument with the red but I dunno where he's getting tese disgraceful scenes from.
Absolutely no brawl and no violent scenes, typical bullshit.

As for the match very encouraging opening, but we fell apart for no real reason about ten minutes before half time, and from then scored two points in the last 45 minutes of the game. McCluskey was his usual calm self in possession, Eamon Maguire the same up front, a few great palm downs and lay offs. Little was very quiet and missed a shocking 25-yard free in front of the posts, though the wind hampered even Forde who missed a few. He came into the game well though and hit a few excellent points second half.
Marty McGrath was also great in the opening period, hit two points from play. I'd say that experiment will continue for a while.

[FermPundit]

"ugly brawl", there was nothing worth talking, I was standing right infront of it. The less said about the refereeing performance today the better. Awful standard for both sides. With regards the football, this was Fermanagh's worst performances so far this campaign however they again showed their fighting qualities to come back from a point down to snatch a draw. We started so brightly today with the two early goals and the game looked over when we had a 8 point lead but I suppose this is Fermanagh and nothing is ever guaranteed. The sending off changed the game. The full back line has been struggling without Barry Owens this year and when we lost the experienced Shane Goan the back 3 were really under pressure. Wexford started to dominated midfield and Fermanagh struggled to get out of their own half. We started to fall back into the old habits of over passing the ball and slowing the whole game down. I don't won't to be too critical however as this was the sixth match in a row and I think a number of players were showing signs of tiredness in the second half.

Eamon Maguire was outstanding today. We has a massive leap for such a small player but most impressive were his intelligent knock downs to other players. He was quiet in the second half but that was due to the lack of possession Fermanagh had in the final third. Martin McGrath did well at full forward but he still isn't 100% match fit. The suspension came at the wrong time as a run of games would have done him the world of good. Tommy McElroy and Damian Kelly were good at times today and the half back line is probably our strongest sector of the team at the minute.

The Down game will give us an opportunity to try out a few things and look at other players in a competitive match environment with promotion already secured. I would like to see O'Rourke try out other options in the full back line. Possibly bring in Paddy Mohan, Paul Johnston or Niall Leonard to see how they get on. Up front I think Paul Ward should be given another opportunity in one of the corners.

I'm really looking forward to the division three final as well. Its not often we get to finals and to win a bit of silverware would be a great achievement and it will also give both the players and supporters a real boost ahead of the championship in May.

Promotion has been secured so congratulations must be given to Malachy O'Rouke and his backroom team in their first season in charge.

[FermGael]

.

The Down game will give us an opportunity to try out a few things and look at other players in a competitive match environment with promotion already secured. I would like to see O'Rourke try out other options in the full back line. Possibly bring in Paddy Mohan, Paul Johnston or Niall Leonard to see how they get on. Up front I think Paul Ward should be given another opportunity in one of the corners.

I'm really looking forward to the division three final as well. Its not often we get to finals and to win a bit of silverware would be a great achievement and it will also give both the players and supporters a real boost ahead of the championship in May.

Promotion has been secured so congratulations must be given to Malachy O'Rouke and his backroom team in their first season in charge.

Would have to agree there pundit.  First our CHB line has been, by all accounts, our strongest this year.
Kelly, Clucker and Mcelroy are all really confident on the ball and also have chipped in with a couple of vital scores this year. 
They all can pass quite well and have been the driving force behind this team this year.  I would love also to see Lyons relieved of the full back job because he to would be a very dangerous WHB.  An experiment with Kelly or McElroy playing in the CHF line would be an option for the Down game.
I still think that Breen is the best option for goals because he is so good at shot stopping.  Bogue and Goan seem to have the corner back spots nailed down but i thought that Bogue got a bit of a roasting yesterday.  Would not mind seeing young Leonard against Down and also give Frog ago at full back.
Midfield has been very consistent this year, especially considering we were missing McGrath.  Womble has been fantastic and when J Sherry has played, he has done well.  Think that Marty might better be deployed on the edge of the square.  Showed yesterday,esp in the first half, he can be a  real handful there
Upfront M Keenan has been a real find this year, and E Maguire has also been doing well.  We could do with abit more from Lyttle but will be interesting to see if he does give Ward another chance.  I think he is good enough for this level.  He has pace to burn. 
To stay unbeaten 6 weeks on the trot is some achievement and a winning habit is a good one to have comming into the championship.
Will be nice to play Down with no presssure and a league final against Wexford or Down would be an ideal game to have before a championship game against Monaghan.  Would be of the required intensity and get us ready for the Battle of Brewster in May.
O'Rourke has done well so far this year but i still feel that it will be next year until we see the real benefits of his training and his man management. 

[FermPundit]

Yep, I agree that we should put Kelly or McElroy in the half forward line. Both have shown the ability to score points and we have plenty of backs who could come in and do a decent job in defence. Although it's likely that changes in personnel will be made for the Down game I hope we approach the match in a positive manner. We haven't got a good record in Newry so a victory would be a real boost to confidence.

[ExiledGael]

O'Rourke has named a surprisingly strong team for Sunday. Thought by his comments in the papers during the week we'd see an experimental side. Ryan Keenan, Shane McDermott, Ronan Gallagher, Niall Bogue and maybe Declan O'Reilly the ones he's probably having another look at. The rest are probably certain Championship starters. Hope we can put it up to Down, will be a good indicator of the new manager's ability to motivate. Doesn't mean a lot to Fermanagh and Down will come out all guns blazing. Also be interesting to see who picks up Benny Coulter, as that's likely to be the man who'll have to keep Tommy Freeman quiet come May. Mark Murphy v Dan Gordon should also be worth watching at midfield.
Glad to see McGrath kept in at full-forward, hope he can build on the last day's showing. Get his fitness up and another few points for his confidence.
Fermanagh: R Gallagher, N Bogue, S Lyons, D O'Reilly, D Kelly, R McCluskey, T McElroy, M Murphy, S McDermott, M Keenan, J Sherry, M Little, R Keenan, M McGrath (capt), E Maguire.

[ExiledGael]

Good result today in Newry for Fermanagh. Bit of a strange line up and we never looked like winning the game until Ryan Keenan's last minute goal to be honest. Started out with Ronan Gallagher (made two great second half saves from Gordon and Coulter) Niall Bogue (subbed after ten minutes for Hugh Brady who then picked up Coulter thereafter, did ok) Declan O'Reilly (not great) Peter Sherry (wasted every ball he got in second half with aimless clearances, good defensively but infuriating in possession) Tommy McElroy (another good performance and fantastic late point, though hit two bad 45s) Ryan McCluskey (a bit more space today and pulled the strings well again from chb) Damien Kelly (should have scored a few points but dragged them wide, decent from open play though) Marty McGrath & Shane McDermott (showed good strength but probably lost the midfeild battle to Rodgers and Gordon, Frog had a much better second half on Gordon, who caught loads of clean ball at midfield early on and stormed forward for two points, both offered little going forward but held firm to turn the game our way by winning the dirty ball) Ciaran McElroy (hit four points from play and had the beating of his man every time, first time I've been really impressed by him, could have played his way into Championship team) James Sherry (again mixed good and the bad, some great takes at midfield and made the catch at the death and shot which led to Keenan's goal, sometimes a bit weak and lethargic though and caught in possession too often, showed his quality at times) Ryan Keenan (showed for the ball better than usual but should have contributed more given the space he had, good option off the bench though and was in right place for goal) Eamon Maguire (our best creative forward, though needs to score more, wasted a few from scoreable positions but he's always the out ball from defence) Jonathan McGurn (hit one 45 over but didn't do much else, not enough to force his way in) Liam McBarron (Caused a few problems as usual and got a good point from distance, another good option).
Tom Brewster came off the bench and hit one great free off his left and a good point from play off his right in first outing of the year, good to see him back.
McQuaid also came on late on but looked very nervous.
That's about them all

[Gold]

The Winning habit is hard to beat and great to see!

[FermPundit]

Fair enough summary Exiled although I do think you're being a little harsh on Declan O'Reilly and Pete Sherry. I actually thought they had do ok throughout. Ronan Gallagher made 2 outstanding saves although I still think Chrissy Breen will get the nod in May. It's a good situation to have three keepers in the squad who you wouldn't argue about any of them starting.
Given that this was an extremely weakened Fermanagh side to come away from Newry with a victory is brilliant. Even when Down went 3 points up in the second half, O'Rourke refused to bring on the stronger players and he kept faith with the boys that were on. Full credit to him for doing so.
Looking throughout the team it appears that we have competition for every position. Where I thought Shane Lyons was the only viable option at full back, the performance of Hugh Brady yesterday means that this position is still up for grabs. At midfield I thought Frog and Marty did pretty well although Marty didn't look 100% match fit and he faded badly in the second half. I still maintain his best position for this season anyway is on the edge of the square with James Sherry partnering Womble at midfield.
Eamon Maguire is our stand out forward although he still doesn't get enough scores from play. The performances of Ciaran McElroy have been great this year. He has been like a new player in comparison to last year. It appears that the confidence that O'Rourke has shown in him is now starting to pay off.
It was pleasing to see Tom Brew back in a green jersey. Many people within the county doubt his ability but when fit and healthy he's a certain starter. He's big and strong and also gives us another free taking option.
Overall it has been an excellent league campaign. The league final on Sunday is a hard one to call but we're more than capable of winning it. Our first piece of silverware since the all ireland b would be great as we head into the ulster championship in May.
Things are coming along quite nicely!!

[ExiledGael]

Thought I'd give us a bump for the weekend final, Saturday night sounds like the time to head down. Can't see the game being anywhere near a sell out but looking forward to the chance of a Fermanagh man lifting a trophy.
Just remembered I have seen Fermanagh play in an final before, the All-Ireland B in Carrick-on-Shannon that we won. Must be over ten years ago that. Any Fermanagh posters know who lifted that? Cormac McAdam?

[FermPundit]

All-Ireland 'B'1996

Captain - Cormac McAdam.

1996 (draw): C. McAdam, P. Courtney, S. Breen, C. Fitzpatrick, R. Curran, B. King, J. Gilheaney, P. Brewster, C. Courtney, K. Donnelly, C. Curran, M. Greene, N. Rooney, Rory Gallagher, S. King. Subs: T. Callaghan, M. Gallagher, P. Greene

1996 (replay): C. McAdam, P. Courtney, S. Breen, C. Fitzpatrick, R. Curran, B. King, J. Gilheaney, P. Brewster, L. McBarron, K. Donnelly, C. Curran, M. Greene, N. Rooney,
Rory Gallagher, S. King. Subs: T. Callaghan, Raymond Gallagher

That was a decent enough Fermanagh side. If the qualifiers had of been around in 96 we could have been pretty well. With regards this weekend I'm heading down on Sunday morning. It's an early start with a 12.30 throw in. It's a bit of disaster having to get tickets through the clubs as I think there are plenty of people who travel to a lot of Fermanagh games yet may not be members of their local club. I can't see it being a sell out either.

[ExiledGael]

Fermanagh: F Murphy; P Sheery, H Brady, D O'Reilly; D Kelly, R McCluskey, T McElroy; M McGrath, S McDermott; R Keenan, J Sherry, C McElroy; J McGurn, L McBarron, E Maguire.

Fermanagh make one change from the team which effectively played last week in Newry. Fergal Murphy comes in for Ronan Gallagher and Hugh Brady replaces Niall Bogue, though he replaced him after just 10 minutes last week and did well thereafter on Benny Coulter.
I'd be surprised if Matty Keenan, Mark Murphy and Mark Little don't start somewhere given it's the last real game before Monaghan, but it's a small concern that the half-back line is the only concrete line on the field this year so far.
Brady will be the man assigned to look after Matty Forde and it'll be interesting to see how he manages. Forde is a surprisingly stong forward and should suit Brady's style of defending if that's possible, but Forde doesn't need much space to score and he could destroy us if he's in the mood.
No worries over any of the three 'keepers, all have done well and deserve their games. Healthy competition but I still expect Chris Breen to be number one come Championship.
We only played for the first 15 minutes in Lisnaskea against Wexford and it should be a much better performance this time with, hopefully, 15 players on the field throughout.
Notice the Impartial saying it's Fermanagh's first final since 2001, when we won the All-Ireland B, they've got their dates badly mixed up. Would be a great boost for confidence to win the division and just keep the winning habit for the summer.
Whatever happens it can be no worse than Fermanagh's last appearance in Parnell Park last year. We were totally destroyed by Dublin under the floodlights, maybe 15 point defeat, most embarassing game to watch since Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2003 which was nearly 20 points. Hopeful we can nick this by a few points, we've beaten Wexford fairly comfortably in the qualifiers twice in recent years, and look to be an improved side since then, especially mentally.

[FermPundit]

Strange enough Fermanagh line up but I don't pay much attention to teams given to the press before a weekend game anymore. I would expect Malachy O'Rourke to approach this match with a championship mentality. There is no way that McGurn and McBarron will be on the forward line, in fact I'd be surprised if either of them start. Marty will probably revert to the edge of the square with Womble going to midfield.

I got my ticket, which is for the terrace, through the club last night. I've heard that tickets have been hard to come by for some people. I wouldn't expect Derry or Kerry to sell their full allocation so hopefully all Fermanagh fans will be able to get to the game.

[barryownsafarm]

Right Fermanagh

Big occassion today.  Probably deserve to win the league based on performances today; albeit some of the performances haven't been outstanding.

Conversely, winning today could drive us closer to being even money against Monaghan given home advantage.

Whilst you would have to hope Fermanagh can do it today, the greater prize is still to come.