Emmet Curry has stepped down as Fermanagh Ladies manager after just over two years in the hot seat.

And it proved to be a successful period for the county with Fermanagh winning an Ulster and All Ireland Junior title in 2017 although this season was a much tougher one with relegation back to Junior Championship after one year at Intermediate.

Curry enjoyed his time in charge and admits it was a difficult decision to come to.

"It was a tough decision, we came in when they were at the bottom and we got them up and got an Ulster and All Ireland out of them, but we have done two years and now it is time to move on. I've enjoyed my time as manager but maybe it needs a new person to come in and give them that kick that I gave them two years ago," said the Derrylin man.

That run in 2017 is one that will stay long in Emmet's memory but as he states, it was not a season that started well.

"We had only nine players from the panel the year before and we brought in a number of younger players like Eimear Smyth and Blaithin Bogue and then some of the others came back through that year and we had a great team by the latter end of the year," he said.

And it was a defeat to Wicklow in a league semi-final that convinced Emmet that the side were moving in the right direction.

"I would say against Wicklow in the semi-final of the league last year was when they came of age. They played well and I knew after that we had a good enough team."

There was also a determination within the squad to succeed and that was clearly in both the semi-final and final of the All Ireland.

"We played London in the semi-final and we were four points down ten minutes into extra time and we came back and won by a point. They were fit, they wanted to win and there was a fierce hunger in them. We then came back from nine points down in Croke Park in the final against Derry to earn a draw and when we went to the replay in Clones we were a different team. They were determined to go out and win it," he commented.

This year though proved more difficult with a number of players unable to commit but Curry stresses that the new manager will have a good team to work with in 2019.

"We lost 14 players last year of the panel, a lot of good players, and then we had injuries and that so it was hard to get them going. There is a good team there though and whoever gets them next year will have a good team to work with."