Forward Tomás Corrigan believes that Fermanagh need to learn to kick on at  key periods in games if they are to make that step up to the next level.
At half time on Sunday Fermanagh were well placed to kick on and provide a real challenge to Donegal in Ballybofey.
The gap had been cut from five points back to two and Donegal were down to 14 men after Neil McGee’s dismissal late in the half.
However, Donegal pushed on after the break as Fermanagh wilted and Corrigan says it is something Fermaagh need to learn from.
“It was very disappointing. We’ve found ourselves in that position a couple of times in the big games and we haven’t kicked on for whatever reason. We just have to go back and try and sort it out because to make that step up to the next level we need to be performing at the crunch time of those big games,” he said.
“That’s what the best teams do, whenever the pressure comes on they up their game. That’s what Donegal did, they went down to 14 men but they were more clinical, more ruthless and more cynical as well and that’s what we have to start to try and be like because that’s the bench mark.”
The Erne attacker landed seven frees on Sunday but he found the Donegal defensive system suffocating at times and difficult to play against.
“It was hard to get any space and I didn’t get a shot away which was very disappointing. They were very tight and they are the connoisseurs of that type of defence, they have put their own brand on it. As a scoring forward they target you and it is very hard to make any headway. Games like that bring you on though and you learn from them. If we played them again you would have to come out the field and get on the ball at an earlier stage in the attack because when you get up to the scoring zone they have you swamped up,” he stated.
Corrigan says that Fermanagh have to use the time between now and the Wexford game to decipher what went wrong on Sunday and get ready for the Qualifiers.
“We have two weeks to the next game and to have the two weeks is nice because we can feel sorry for ourselves for a couple of days and get that out of the system but as soon as Wednesday (yesterday) comes the game heads are on for the next game. We have enough training sessions to be able to fit in drills and go over the video of the game to sort out where we went wrong. We have that two weeks now so we have to use it well,” he commented.
And he stresses that the focus will now be on getting through that Qualifier and into the next round.
“The way we see it is we are out of the Ulster Championship now but we are in the All Ireland series. The thing about the All Ireland series, you want to keep your focus on the next game. We’ll be going into the game next Saturday wanting to win and that’s all we’ll be focussed on.”