COLUMN: MARTY MCGRATH: The manner survival was achieved was very pleasing

The least we expected was survival but the manner in which it was achieved is the most pleasing aspect.
As the game neared its conclusion on Sunday, my wee fella got a bit excited and restless - either from the nervous tension in the crowd or from all the sugar he had consumed! So I was forced to leave my seat in the stand and take up residence in the more open area at the back of the goals. As the roar went up at the final whistle to celebrate our future in the second tier in 2017, two Tyrone supporters beside me quipped, “You would think they’d won the game.” I quickly turned to them – or on them – and let them know that a point was all we needed.
The performance against Cavan a few weeks ago along with an inability to put Armagh away when we dominated possession, gave Galway and Tyrone the potential to really put Fermanagh to the sword. However the character shown to bounce back from the Cavan defeat was heartening but not surprising. This team has, over the last three years, shown an abundance of bounce-back-ability including on three occasions this year; after the Derry defeat, Armagh defeat and that flooring defeat to Cavan.
Retaining division two status was hard fought but Fermanagh were certainly up for the fight in more ways than one. I am not condoning thuggery in the game but a bit of aggression never did anybody any harm. No player is isolated when the pushing and shoving starts and it lets the opposition know that Fermanagh will not be walked over. Marty O’Brien and Colm Cavanagh’s duel in front of the goals was one such moment. Marty’s not a man to hit the deck after a bit of contact and he let Cavanagh know this in no uncertain terms. It provides a bit of entertainment but too much of this and referees will be looking out for it with the guilty party already set in his mind.
Pete McGrath deserves huge credit for what he is getting from this team. He is maximising their talents as well as their passion and desire. The belief and confidence is growing and the panel is also on that upward curve. Ryan Lyons came in for the Galway game and kicked two great points, followed up with another two on Sunday from similar positions, and having a player with an accurate left foot has the potential to be worth a few points from frees. Daniel Teague can be pretty happy with his debut on Sunday and come the hard ground of the summer, he could be a real livewire.
Ryan Jones had probably his best game since last year after injury curtailed his early form. He helped dominate midfield along with Damian Kelly and the tireless Eoin Donnelly who, incidentally, is my Player of the League. The McCuskers again ran themselves into the ground and Che Cullen has really developed in full back; he didn’t look at all phased by All-Stars Sean Cavanagh and then Mattie Donnelly.
Defensively Fermanagh have been very strong and other than an odd scary moment under the high ball they have coped well with anything that has come their way. In fact on Sunday, Tyrone inside line was anonymous and had little bearing on the game. What was worrying against Galway was how Shane Walsh was given so much freedom until injury ended his game at half time. He was controlling the game and his influence needed to be curtailed early on with a man marker following his every move. Antrim’s Michael McCann plays the game in much the same way as Walsh and afforded the space, could end up having a huge bearing on the game. It is something I am sure that will be in the management’s thoughts over the next few weeks.
Despite dominating many of the games for long periods, the scores did not come freely. Two games stand out; the Armagh game and last Sunday’s encounter with Tyrone. 
Despite getting into good scoring positions, many players are making the decision to turn back and thus causing the space to close in around them. 
When three points up against Tyrone, Fermanagh should have been six up but the lack of scores when on top kept Tyrone in the game and let Armagh snatch a win and nearly our division two status a few months back. 
It’s not that we don’t have scoring forwards because we do but it is highly important that space is created for these players to get on the ball in the right position to score. 
A faster paced ball in with accuracy is something that has improved over the course of the league but will need to develop even further for Championship. Eoin Donnelly and, in particular, Ryan Jones have the ability to kick scores from distance so this too should be worked on over the next few weeks.
As I said at the beginning, the manner in which we retained division two status, the fight that the team has shown, has enhanced expectations for the Championship. I still feel however that the best is yet to come!