There was a long pause before Declan McCusker answered the question. 
“What was the feeling like at the final whistle?” 
It was as if he was searching for the right words to portray all the emotion. 
In the end, they seemed to escape him and instead he reached for one that many Fermanagh fans have been using since Sunday’s victory over Monaghan: “unbelievable”.
Of course, Fermanagh fans and McCusker are using the word in a slightly different context. 
For the Ederney player it describes the feeling at the final whistle while for most supporters if we are honest, it describes the result itself. 
For McCusker the victory was always on the cards, not so much a surprise at all. 
Sunday’s win was a result of planning of course. Monaghan were meticulously scrutinised, their strengths analysed and their weaknesses sought like gold dust. 
But it was also more than that. More than a masterful plan to defeat one team. The foundation was laid during months of diligence and graft;
“I think every time you play a team you look at them, and the management are brilliant at that. You maybe throw something different at the opposition depending on how they play. But we have been building and building over a long period of time to get to where we are and there has been a lot of hard work put in.”
Yet McCusker accepts that it could have been different. 
He was the last man back when Conor McManus took aim with the last shot of the match to tie things up for the Farney county: “When we scored the goal I just thought we have a battle here to hold on because we were all out on our feet. 
“We turned it over and won it back, then turned it over again and when (Conor) McManus got that space I just thought he is not missing that and then I just saw it going wide of the post and looked at the clock and it said 40 minutes and I just thought, this has to be it.”
There would be few to begrudge Fermanagh the win however and on closer analysis, it is clear that the herculean effort, particularly when not in possession, put Monaghan under serious pressure and completely disrupted their natural rhythm.
“It was the best we have played defensively and we have put a lot of work into that side of the game. But we have put a lot of work into attacking too. 
“Playing a team like Monaghan they have very good players and it was a case of trying to pick and choose who would be shooting for them and try and keep the ball out of the hands of their real talented forwards,” McCusker stated, before adding. 
“Monaghan are hard to break down too. But when it comes to ourselves, everyone is expected to get forward at different times and if the chance is there to go then go. 
“We would have liked to have gotten more shots from better positions and that is something I am sure we will work on in the final.”
Fermanagh now await the winners of Down and Donegal in the final, with Rory Gallagher’s men having an extra week to prepare for the Ulster showcase.
“It is definitely good to get the extra week. We can recover this week and then maybe put a hard week in and get a few extra minutes into the legs and then sharpen it up again before the final,” the Ederney forward explained before revealing that there was no preference among the squad as to who they would like to face in the decider.
“It doesn’t really matter who we play, to be honest. Donegal are a mix of a lot of experienced men who have won Ulsters and an All Ireland and they have some very good younger players too. Down have all that tradition and if you look at last year, they came out of the league and no-one gave them a chance and they went on to an Ulster final so all their players have that experience of playing in an Ulster final. 
“So whatever team we play is going to be difficult and there is no preference.”
No preference. No fear. 
And for Fermanagh fans, no doubt in what can be achieved next.