71,600 people turned up at Croker on Sunday but the Fermanagh team that had battled so hard and played so gallantly to defeat Cavan, Meath and Mayo to get to this heady point did not turn up.

    Rather, a limp, toothless and all to easily defeated Fermanagh played seventy minutes of mediocre football which was suitably punished by a clinical and strong running Tyrone team that now has a good chance of lifting their first ever All Ireland title.

    The game to all intents and purposes was over in the 16th minute when Sean Cavanagh slotted the ball to the net and indeed, the three pointer was a cameo of the match as a whole as the impressive Mulligan passed to the strong running Cavanagh who brushed past Kieran Gallagher to hammer the ball home. The Fermanagh players could only look on helplessly.

    Fermanagh’s heads visibly dropped. Tyrone, our nemesis of many year’s past, were now eight points ahead and we were on our way out. Tyrone were going to win and unfortunately the Fermanagh players, for the first time this season I must add, accepted this fact from an early stage in rather meek fashion.

    Tyrone, however, kept playing to the end, knocking over point after point with the four fisted points and several good saves from Ronan Gallagher indicative of the Tyrone incision.

    So, how and why did such a great season for Fermanagh come to such an inglorious defeat?

    I suppose we can be thankful that this sort of Fermanagh performance is the exception rather than the norm but the most damning fact of the day is that we capitulated way too easily. Tyrone are undoubtedly a good team but we just did not work hard enough, did not track back with the runners and did not put the Tyrone players under pressure when in possession. There was much talk in the pre-match build up of stopping the Tyrone supply to Canavan and Mulligan at source but we failed miserably and were duly punished. We could not match their pace and power.

    Moreover, in the league game against Tyrone, we played fairly high up the pitch with the half back line pushing on but this left the full back line isolated and Canavan and Mulligan punished us with two goals apiece. This time Paul Brewster dropped deep with the defensive sextet holding deep positions but Tyrone just pushed up defenders, Kevin Hughes regularly made himself available in wide postions while an unopposed Sean Cavanagh broke through the middle. The Tyrone player in possession always had options and when good players have time and space they will make you pay and we paid heavily.

    Amid all this, we must not lose sight of the quality that Tyrone possess in all positions and they are a team on a mission with only one objective and that is to win the All Ireland title. To this end, they are a way ahead of us. We are not realistic All Ireland title contenders, an Ulster title with a bit of luck perhaps but not Sam.

    We have had a good year, last four in the league and last eight in the All Ireland series. Marked up against these consderable feats is a 19 point defeat in Croke Park but while it may hurt at the moment, we cannot allow it to detract from the big picture.

    Fermanagh have played 15 competitive games (all against division one teams) this season, winning nine and losing six with Tyrone (three times), Down (twice) and Laois the only teams to lower our colours.

    I feel sorry for the players, who have given unstinting commitment throughout the year, that it ended with such an ignominious defeat. They are better than that, I know it and they know it.

    Someone said, Fermanagh would have been better losing to Mayo by a point rather than having to go through the pain that was Croke Park last Sunday. I can’t agree. Markievicz Park was a day to enjoy, we have had quite a few days to enjoy this year and just one where the wheels have come off totally.

    The players will have to live with this defeat for a few months before they can start to right the wrongs. It won’t be easy. This Sunday, the Fermanagh championship begins and they will be playing to crowds in the region of 70 as oppose to 70,000. They say it can’t be Croke Park all the time and for a little while the players will be saying thank God.