Fermanagh ladies Manager, Aide Little said he was “gutted” following Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter final defeat to Offaly.

“I thought we would do well and give ourselves a chance and get back to into the All-Ireland final.” Fermanagh have reached the All-Ireland semi-final stage for the past three years, so to be out of the competition at this stage is a strange feeling for many of the girls.

Little says it’s hard to pin point what went wrong on Saturday; “It was a poor performance, I don’t know if it’s because they were playing the same defensive game as us and our girls didn’t know how to deal with that. The play went back and forth a lot but they (Offaly) seemed to be able to take more scores from distance. We gave the ball away alot and they were just that bit smarter.” There was no denying Fermanagh were aiming for All-Ireland glory this year, so did Fermanagh underestimate an Offaly team, that came up from Junior level two years ago?

“I think there might have been a bit of complacency. We said to the girls all week, they were a good side and that while we were favourites, if we didn’t play well we wouldn’t win and in the end we paid a heavy price.” Despite Fermanagh’s below par performance, there were stages of the game when it looked like the team in green were going to turn the screw on the game and pull clear but it wasn’t to be; “When Caroline got the goal I thought that’s it, things will kick in now and we’d drive on. Then Caroline had a 14 yard free which she missed and that would have brought it down to a one point game, instead they went up the field and went three up. It was a turning point in the game” he says.

But Aide shoulders some of the responsibility for the defeat too; “We could have made the changes earlier. I’ve definitely learnt a lot from that game and I’ve learnt a lot since I took over. You learn that you have to let your head rule your heart” he says.

Little took over as Manager in May and lead the Erne side to an Ulster title but the Lisnaskea man expects conversations will be held between him and the County Board, following Saturday’s defeat.

“I haven’t really thought about what’s going to happen. I’m sure I’ll be called in to speak to the County Board.” Asked, does he want to continue at the helm, he said “I don’t mind doing it and I want to be a part of it but I suppose we will have to chat through everything. “ Whether or not some players continue on, also remains uncertain but Little has asked them not to jump into anything just yet; “We said to them, ‘don’t make any rash decisions. They have a bit longer to think about it and I still reckon there is an All-Ireland in them.”