Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath (pictured) expects a much sterner test this Sunday when his side host Derry at Brewster Park before they conclude the group stage of their campaign with a visit to Ballybofey to play Donegal on Wednesday January 14.

Fermanagh began their group programme with a seven point victory over Queens last Sunday and McGrath states that he is keen to do well in this year’s McKenna Cup competition.

“I’ve said this year that we have a lot more work done and we have more of a handle on where we want to go and how we want to play so the Derry game next week is going to be a very important game for us to push forward. This time last year the McKenna Cup was nothing more than an extension of a trial system. This year, in our view, it is a competition we are taking very seriously. Obviously we are building towards the first National League game in four weeks time but we’ll be looking to get very positive performances against Derry and against Donegal,” he said.

McGrath was satisfied with the display against the students of Queens but knows that improvement is needed for this week’s encounters.

“We’ll look at the game and look at the things that need to be worked on and improved because Derry next week will obviously be a bit more formidable than Queens,” he added.

An aspect of the performance against Queens that pleased McGrath the most was his side’s defending and in particular managing to keep a clean sheet, an area they struggled with in 2014.

“Collectively, we came into the game with a lot of work done on defending and defensive strategies, and it was good to see them being put into practice. Really, Queens never threatened a goal which was good for us. We had men back and at times are tackling was very disciplined, very controlled and we weren’t giving away needless fouls,” commented the former Down All Ireland winning boss. He accepts though that there are other areas that they need to work on in the coming weeks.

“Maybe at times in our full forward line we had men in there who were outnumbered and we’ll have to try and get more men forward more quickly. We also hit quite a few wides and sometimes our decision making left a lot to be desired, particularly coming out of our defence. But overall I would be very happy with the performance and result. It was very satisfying to start the competitive end of things with a victory and they (the players) are keen to push on and be better.” And the Fermanagh manager was delighted with the contribution of his four debutants.

“I thought James Allen, for a young fella who was making his first competitive appearance, did well, I also thought James McMahon was very good; he knows what the games about, he reads things well and he is comfortable on the ball. Eoin McManus is probably a bit better suited to further out the field but he has a phycial strength about him and he’ll be better for the 45 minutes he got under his belt while Ryan Lyons put in a good shift. We would be more than happy with how the young players got on and then obviously the more experienced men put in very good shifts as well,” he said.