Survival now the realistic goal

Published 18 Feb 2010 11:06 0 Comments

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It was certainly pleasing to see Fermanagh show the determination and grit to keep going to the end last Saturday night against Roscommon, and the reward for this was James Sherry's injury time goal which got Malachy O'Rourke's side up and running in Division Three of the Allianz National Football League.

However, the result was not enough to mask the poor quality of the performance at Brewster Park, and although O'Rourke had a number key players who are in the squad unavailable, it does look as if the goal for the league will be to consolidate our position in the table and bed players in ahead of the championship.

This is a difficult and tricky division with any side capable of beating any other on a given day and it already has the look of a league that could go right down to the last day with regards decisions at the top and bottom of the table.

If Fermanagh are to continue the form they showed against Roscommon then we could well be among the sides battling it out at the wrong end of the table come the final game in April away to Cavan although the win over Roscommon may just lift the players and give them confidence ahead of the trip to Casement Park to play unbeaten Antrim on March 6.

The worry though for me is the sheer volume of inexperienced players that O'Rourke was forced to field on Saturday night. Of the starting 15 only five have been involved in the squad for more than two seasons and it is hard for newcomers to come in and make the transition to senior inter-county level without a good sprinkling of experienced players to help them along.

O'Rourke will hope he will have greater experience to call on as the league progresses and certainly the likes of Peter Sherry, Shane Goan and Damian Kelly would give the defence a stronger look.

Also, the return to midfield of Marty McGrath cannot be understated although it will take the former All Star time to find his feet having been out for a sustained period.

Up front Rory Gallagher will come back into the equation and it will be interesting to see how he links up with Ryan Carson who was Fermanagh's best player against Roscommon, although O'Rourke may be forced to play the Newtown man at midfield to shore things up against Antrim.

Saturday night's game was littered with basic errors and mistakes, from poor passing to poor decision making and a defence that at times was at sixes and sevens. There was also a lack of awareness on the ball. Too many occasions the option of the direct ball was not taken and we were forced to move the ball sideways or backwards when we got the ball in the middle third. Our full forward line, which looked as if it could cause problems for the Rossie's rearguard, were simply starved of possession while for a period in the second half we could not get our hands on ball as Roscommon dominated the game, leaving our full back line overworked.

These opening two games will have been a chastening experience for the new players on the panel as they have been thrown in at the deep end, but the hope for O'Rourke is that they will learn from their mistakes and grow stronger for it.

O'Rourke is non-committal on recalling players, and although there is a perception among supporters that some may return, and indeed many feel need to comeback, that decision is entirely in the hand of the manager, not the players.

Malachy took a strong stance at the start of the season that he only wanted players that are fully committed, and regardless of availability of others, it would seem that he is happy to move on with what he has, although he does not completely rule out bringing players in if it is for the benefit of the squad.

Certainly leaving Brewster Park on Saturday night there was a sense of doom and gloom among supporters despite the victory, but we have to stick with the players that are there at present and now more than ever they need supporters to get behind them.

It may not be the same circumstances, but in 2004 there was a low expectation among supporters after a big turnover of players following Dom Corrigan's resignation and Charlie Mulgrew's appointment. A number of new faces were called on albeit they had more experience around them than the current crop as well as a number of players who had gained invaluable experience during Fermanagh's run to the All Ireland quarter-finals in 2003. That summer though saw Mark Little and Eamon Maguire literally dance their way to prominence while Barry Owens, Marty McGrath, Shane McDermott and Ryan McCluskey grew into the leaders of the side as they marched their way to the All Ireland semi-final.

I'm not suggesting that is the way this year will turn out but it shows that football can turnaround quickly if momentum is gained.

O'Rourke will be looking for a couple of the new boys to begin to show the potential that they undoubtedly have, and more importantly he needs vocal leaders to appear on the pitch.

There is a lot of hard work to be done by the management and players but maybe James Sherry's last gasp goal will have given Fermanagh a bit of momentum to build from and hopefully it will prove to be the spring board for Fermanagh to begin to find some form.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 18 Feb 10

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