Brewster Park has become very accustomed to the golden yellow of the saffron jersey of Antrim over the last few years. 
Three championship meetings in the past two years provides a familiar look to Sunday’s encounter that will register little interest with the rest of the GAA community across the country.
So often classed as the basement boys of Ulster Football, drawing Fermanagh or Antrim in the first round of the championship would be the ideal way of getting a season up and running. 
It has always irked me how people outside of our county disrespect us but until titles are won this, unfortunately, will remain the case. 
Pats on the back and admiration may be gained for moral victories but they are short lived.
As an outsider looking at Antrim, I feel they should be a county with more success. They come third behind Cork and Dublin for the number of GAA clubs so they have the population. 
They also possess some quality players but the structures in place seem to be holding them back; club hurling games fixed before championship football matches and the Casement Park debacle are just two issues that have hounded them in recent times.
Looking at how the teams have developed since Antrim’s victory over Fermanagh in 2014, it is clear that the men in green were able to take stock of what happened in that game and have therefore made good progress since. 
After conceding 2-18, including 1-10 without reply in the first half, changes needed to be made. 
In a way, the defeat contributed to the improvements over the last two years and the more defensive style of play implemented by Pete McGrath and his backroom team.
After last year’s run, McGrath stated that an Ulster title is a target for his team in 2016. I fully expect Fermanagh to book their place in round one proper but winning it outright will be an achievement few have managed when starting from the preliminary round - Donegal being the only team in recent years to do so.
Despite all the setbacks, Antrim are also a lot stronger since last year with the likes of Michael and Tomás McCann, Kevin Niblock and Brian Neeson back in the panel after missing the 2015 season. 
Their run to the Division Four League Final has put a bounce back in the step of the players as joint manager Frank Fitzsimons alluded to before the final defeat in Croke Park: 
“The level of competitiveness in our training sessions has been more than we could ever have asked for with the boys really putting their shoulder to the wheel. There is no doubting the collective desire to be part of the team that will take the field.”
Defensively, Fermanagh have been solid in the latter stages of the league but Kevin Niblock and Michael McCann are two players that will need special attention on Sunday. 
Given their quality and afforded the space, they will create holes in any defence. Against Galway, in the second last league game, Fermanagh struggled to curtail Shane Walsh at centre forward. 
Both Niblock, who will likely play number eleven and McCann at full-forward are two players who come in a similar mould and will need to be man marked. 
Barry Mulrone may drop back from his wing forward position to pick up Niblock which in turn will free up James McMahon to play the sweeper role and close down the spaces in front of the pacey Tomás McCann who also needs to be kept in check, possibly by Michael Jones. 
With McMahon back covering, Che Cullen may follow Micheal McCann out the field leaving his full back berth. 
However the physicality and experience of Damian Kelly may be more suited to locking horns with McCann if he was to wander out to the middle!
Tomás Corrigan and Sean Quigley’s performance will of course be vital along with Ryan Jones’ driving runs and long range scores. But the man that glues this team together is without doubt, their captain, Eoin Donnelly. If not fit he will leave a huge hole in the Fermanagh team and his leadership qualities will be missed. 
His fitness levels are immense and so often he is their top performer with regards to stats for possessions and distance run. 
If he does start on Sunday he is sure to have a ding dong battle with Niall McKeever that will be worth the admission fee alone.
If Fermanagh can improve on the speed of the ball into the forward line, create space for our scoring forwards to shoot from and get their man marking duties right in defence then I expect a four point victory and a trip to Ballybofey next day out!