Sunday June 24 won’t be Rory Gallagher’s first Ulster final as manager, but it will be his first with his native Fermanagh and he is looking forward to it.
Gallagher steered his team past title favourites Monaghan at Healy Park in Omagh on Sunday afternoon with Eoin Donnelly’s dramatic injury time goal sealing a one point victory for Fermanagh. 
And the Erne boss is delighted that his management and players have that showpiece final to look prepare for in the coming weeks.
“I’m really looking forward to it. When you are young all you want to be is in Clones on Ulster final day. I’m just delighted that myself, Ricey, Shane, Ronan, Leon and all the management team as well as the players, they are all going to get that opportunity. 
“Even Ricey, he was well used to it, but he is looking forward to it again. 
“It is just a really nice position to be in, you are going to be one of two teams in the province who have the opportunity to win it, it is a really special place and we’re really looking forward to the build up to it,” he told the Impartial Reporter on Tuesday.
None of the Fermanagh players who were used on Sunday have experienced an Ulster final before but Gallagher knows all about it from his days with Donegal. 
And he says that now is the time to get everything right as they aim to ensure they are at their best on June 24.  
“I have found over the years that you have to make the most of everyday now. 
“It is easy to want to do everything right in October or November but we now want to do everything right over the next two and half weeks to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance to perform to our maximum potential. 
“That’s the challenge for is now, to be able to deliver a performance that is worthy of the occasion,” he added.
On Sunday, Fermanagh may have sealed the win by a single point, but Gallagher was in no doubt that they were deserving victors on the day.
“We led for huge parts of it although we probably didn’t have the control in the game in the second half that we had in the first half. 
“Obviously Monaghan were coming on strong and they emptied their bench which we knew. I thought we weathered it but we didn’t make the most of a few breaks up the field and they went two points up and we then got it back to one. 
“Drew Wylie then got a point to put them two up again and it wasn’t a good position to be in but I felt even though we came from behind to win it, we deserved it overall,” he said.
So, what was the most pleasing aspect of the performance against Monaghan?
The control we took of the game early on was pleasing,” said Gallagher. 
“I thought to go 0-05 to 0-01 up, for Monaghan to have only one point on the board after 27 or 28 minutes and for us to be dominating a lot of the possession and for us to be fairly comfortable for the majority of that, that was very, very pleasing. 
“I would be disappointed though that we were only 0-05 to 0-01 up at that stage and I felt we should have pushed on and at half time we should have had a four or five point lead at least and that’s maybe the bit of the negative on it.”
Monaghan though rallied after the break as they pressed Fermanagh but Gallagher’s charges refused to buckle and Monaghan were forced to earn every score that they got.
“We dug in and we dug in and any point that Monaghan got we made them fight for their lives for it. 
“I thought the boys covered the ground and defended with serious discipline; the effort and the honesty was ferocious for periods in the game.”
This Fermanagh side though have great belief and were not to be beaten as Donnelly punched to the net to secure their final berth.
Gallagher feels that the belief comes from the hard work that the players have done on the training pitch.
“They kept at it and kept at it, it is a much bandied word, belief, and I don’t think there’s a magic wand that can produce it. 
“But by preparing very well and doing the right things on the training pitch, I think that brings that and I couldn’t fault the boys application and their attitude to train all year. 
“It is for days like that when you are put to the pin of your collar that you react in the right way,” he explained.
And now Gallagher will be more than an interested spectator on Sunday and he casts his eye over the second semi-final and his side’s final opponents.
“It is part of the job, you go and watch the opposition and see how we fit against them. It is great when you play the first semi-final and you come out the right side, it is good this week that you naturally come down of the elation and get the bodies right and by Sunday we can focus on the opposition,” he said.
Then it will be down to serious preparation for the Ulster final as Fermanagh look to finally get their hands on the Anglo Celt Cup.
“It is an opportunity now to get the boys right and get some real quality work in as well. It is important to have that because when the games are coming thick and fast sometimes you don’t get that volume of training,” said Gallagher.