Fermanagh captain Eoin Donnelly is aware that there might be some pressure on the team to maintain their division two status but he insists the squad isn’t feeling any of that as they prepare for the visit of Clare this Sunday.

Fermanagh have lost three on the spin and are rooted to the bottom of the table but as the Erne skipper explained their destiny is still in their own hands.

“I don’t think you ever want to be relying on other teams and we are still in a situation where we can control what happens.

“We are always talking about the need to play at the highest level possible so we know that there is pressure from outside with all the talk about relegation but to be honest we are just concentrating on getting a good performance on Sunday.”

Fermanagh suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Kildare in the last round of the league with the Leinster men scoring four goals in the process of their victory and Donnelly says there must be lessons learned; “To be honest we did not think we played as badly as the scoreline suggested but we made mistakes and we were punished every time, and that is what the good teams are going to do to you,” the Coa man said before adding that Fermanagh know exactly what they have to do to improve; “I think we have to defend as a team and attack as a team and after that we have to not only take our chances but also cut out the mistakes that we have been making.”

Fermanagh welcome Clare on Sunday with the Banner men buoyed by their home win over Cork last time out.

They have made significant progress in the last number of seasons and are team who are ever improving but Donnelly says Fermanagh have nothing to fear from the Munster men; “Clare will be confident there is no doubt about that but we are confident in what we can do and very sure that we can go out and play well.

“We feel we can beat any team if we play to our potential and this Sunday is no different”

Three of Fermanagh’s four league games to date have been away from home and with three games left in the campaign the Erne men do have the comfort of having two of those three games in the confines of Brewster Park and this is something that the squad is relishing; “We are looking forward to getting out on to Brewster Park and getting the crowd behind us.

“We played well for long periods against Galway at home and things went against us a little in the end but we feel like we can compete with anyone,” Fermanagh’s Donnelly explained.

Despite the run of defeats the big midfielder stressed that the mood within the camp is very good ahead of this encounter.

“I think everyone just wants to get the opportunity to get out and play.

“We know what we have been doing wrong and we know that games have gone against and for all those reasons we just want to get out there and get playing again and try and put a few things right.”

A win will very much leave the remainder of the league in Fermanagh’s hands. With an away game to Meath and a final home game to Derry rounding off the league a win on Sunday will lift the spirits considerable.

A few weeks has been a long time for Fermanagh football and there is no doubt that the three defeats in succession has put a dent in the optimism of even the most fervent of Erne supporter but listening to Fermanagh captain Donnelly it certainly appears that within the camp they remain as resolutely assured of their own ability as ever. Two points on Sunday will help reassure the Erne faithful.