Nobody can accuse Pete McGrath of lacking ambition. An away trip to Derry this Sunday followed by the hosting of Meath the following week and the Fermanagh manager has boldly set his sights on four points from those two games.
“We are going to Derry confident that we can pick up the win,” the Down man said. “We are approaching these first two games in the same way we approached the first two games last year, we want to get four points from them and that will set us up well for the break. We feel that there is no reason why we cannot do that if we work as hard as we have been and perform to a high level.”
The two time All Ireland winning manager however is under no illusions as to how difficult life is going to be in division two this season and he believes that the trip to Derry this weekend represents a unique set of circumstances that his side must overcome.
“It is fair to say that every game will be difficult and challenging and it is also true that every game will present its own unique challenge. Derry are a side that got relegated last season and they have a new manager which also brings with it a boost and of course they are also at home so it is a difficult prospect on Sunday,” McGrath explained.
Looking at this Derry team the Erne boss has noted that with the appointment of Damian Barton to the manager’s hot seat there has been a change in emphasis in how the Oak Leaf men approach the game;
“From the reports I have been reading Derry seem to be playing a different style of football this year. They seem to be playing with more adventure and trying to move the ball quickly into a big two man full forward line and they have been posting big scores to date.”
Given that Derry seem to be playing with more confidence than last year Fermanagh will have an uphill task this season. They will be without Ryan McCluskey, Martin O’Brien, Richard O’Callaghan and Ryan Jones on Sunday and the loss of the latter two has the potential to be particularly keenly felt.
“We have been missing players who are important to us. Richard O’Callaghan and Ryan Jones both played well last season and when you take two players who have their physical ability out of the team then it presents a challenge. But players missing just means that others get the opportunity to step up and show what they are capable of.”
McGrath knows that his charges will have to be at their best if they are to take something from the game at the weekend but he sees that as being a constant theme of this season’s campaign;
“We have to be right up at our maximum in terms of performance but that will be true of every game we play. It is a step up for us but I believe we are ready for that and we are certainly looking forward to it,” he said before adding that finding a balance between asserting Fermanagh’s own style of play and curtailing Derry’s will be key to the outcome;
“I think you always have to look at the opposition, look at how they play and look at what are their strengths and weaknesses. You need to take into account how they will try to play and how they will try to impose their will on proceedings. But at the same time we also have to try and play with conviction and with an energy that will work well for us. Our game is built on high energy and pace and we will have to make sure we play like that on Sunday.”
Finally, McGrath has been happy with the work his team has done this season and the fact that he has been able to give plenty of game time to some of his more experienced players;
“Both teams got extended runs in the McKenna Cup, we got to a semi-final and Derry got to the final. The league will represent something new and a step up but I think the fact that we have been able to field a settled eight or nine players in most of the McKenna Cup will stand to us.”