On Sunday at Brewster Park Fermanagh produced a committed and vibrant performance that saw them gain a point against Tyrone which was enough to secure their place in Division Two for 2017.
It was a tension filled afternoon with results elsewhere going against Fermanagh.
In the end though Pete McGrath’s side didn’t have to rely on anybody else as they dug deep to come up with a strong display against Mickey Harte’s charges and knowing a draw was enough they held on to possession in the final minutes to seal a draw.
On Monday McGrath reflected on a successful league campaign that saw Fermanagh finish fourth in the table although he feels that they could have done even better.
“If you look at the final table, we finished fourth in the league and there is no doubt in my mind that potentially the team could have achieved promotion. 
"I think the Armagh game in the Athletic Grounds that night was the one that got away,” said McGrath. 
“When you look at it overall though you can say that the team really acquitted itself well in the division. A number of teams have found down through the years that the jump from Division Three to Division Two is quite a quantum leap in many ways so for us to finish fourth in the league and be there again next year is a very credible result. 
"Some of the performances were really out of the top drawer and all of that can only be good going ahead into championship,” he stated.
Fermanagh’s display on Sunday should have resulted in a win but McGrath argues that they got the result that was required and that was all that mattered.
“You reflect on it and say that it is a game we could have and should have won. At the very end with two or three minutes to go and the game is a draw, you know that a defeat will relegate you and that a draw will keep you safe, then a draw is every bit as good as a victory in that set of circumstances. If it was a game in the middle of the league you would have been disappointed with a draw but given the situation, a draw was every bit as valuable as a victory.
"The performance, the energy, the standard of football that the players produced at times was in my view exceptional,” he added.
It did not look good for Fermanagh when they lost top scorer Tomás Corrigan to a black card but others stepped up to the plate in his absence with Ryan Lyons, Danny Teague and Pat Cadden all giving the manager a nudge as they head towards the championship.
“Ryan scored two points, Danny Teague scored a valuable point and Pat Cadden came on, and Pat has been very patient, and got a priceless point. If you can come up with a couple of players with that knack of getting you scores at critical times in the game then I think that is a very positive development and one that will give us good options going into the championship.”
Indeed, a look at the bench on Sunday would indicate that McGrath has strength in depth at his disposal with Ruairi Corrigan, Ryan McCluskey, Aidan Breen and Ciaran Flaherty all among the substitutes while the likes of Niall Cassidy and Richie O’Callaghan were unavailable.
“For a lot of positions on the field you have a lot of people pushing hard to get into those positions and that drives the level of the whole thing on. 
"Very few people can rest on their laurels and any manager will tell you that’s what you need to really get the best out of your players and for the players to get the best out of themselves,” he commented.
With Fermanagh playing the Saffrons in the Preliminary Round in the Ulster Championship, McGrath says that the focus has to shift quickly to that game. 
“I said to the players after the game that the league is gone, we have done very well but we have to go into the championship mode very quickly because the next six weeks will go in very fast and you have got to be ready.”
Antrim will travel to Enniskillen full of confidence after a good league campaign of their own that saw them promoted from Division Four but McGrath is confident that his side will be ready to meet the challenge.
“Antrim will be coming into the game with confidence and you underestimate any team at your peril. 
"They will be coming with a winning mentality and with a spring in their step and they are a threat and we will have to prepare for that. 
"I’m confident though that we will be in a position to deal with the threat that Antrim will bring.”