For Fermanagh Premier manager Darren Higginbotham the hard work is nearly over and at this stage with the Super Cup literally just around the corner it is a case of polishing up things to ensure that they are ready to go when they face Newcastle United at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Monday night.
“We’ve been putting our final touches to our set pieces and our defending and attacking. I said to the boys that it’s the small things that make the difference and certainly in the last two to three weeks we’ve been working very hard on these things so that when we kick off at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Monday at 7.30pm we are ready to go,” he said.
Fermanagh also face games against Tyrone and Right to Dream in the early part of the week but for Higginbotham the focus is solely on the opener against English giants Newcastle.
“It’s tournament football and all you can only focus on the game that is ahead of you. Right now all the focus is on Newcastle and making sure that we are well equipped for that, and the way the boys have worked, I’m more than confident that we can go up there and get a result. Once the first game is over we will start to think about County Tyrone,” he added.
Higginbotham started out with trials six months ago and he has been delighted with how the players have worked and how preparations have gone for the tournament.
Preparations have been fantastic and I can ask no more of any of the players. They have bought into what we wanted to do and each player has worked extremely hard. We had 12 games during our preparations and only lost two so we are going up there in good form and I’m confident that we can go up there and compete and do our county proud,” he added.
Higginbotham has served Fermanagh as a player during the Milk Cup and he says it is a week for the players to savour. 
“It’s a brilliant week for the players. Obviously it is a massive shop window and there are a lot of scouts but off the pitch, to live as a professional for a week is great and it is also about enjoying the occasion.”
And Higginbotham stresses that the main aim for him is to see the players develop.
“These are 16 and 17 year old boys and you can’t forget that. For me the most important thing is to see player development. Results are important but seeing the boys play to their potential and compete against quality teams and players is what it is all about.”