Fermanagh manager Rory Gallagher feels that if they can build and improve on certain aspects of their performance against Donegal then they will give themselves every opportunity of getting past Monaghan in Clones on Sunday.

The Ernemen were in contention in that Ulster Championship quarter-final clash up until the final ten minutes or so when Donegal started to pull away but the manager felt his side did a lot of good things throughout that game.

“When we analysed the game we felt that we did an awful lot right and we would be very disappointed in the sense that we felt we did enough well in the game to bring it into the last couple of minutes.

“We felt that we had enough chances but we didn’t even make the most of some of our counter-attacks.

“We would be pleased though with the level of our performance. We kept a lot of their key men quiet and opened them up on a number of occasions but didn’t make the most of them. That is the challenge for us, we have got to do that better and we obviously have to keep an eye on Monaghan’s danger men as well,” he said.

One of the most pleasing things for Gallagher from the Donegal game was how they managed Donegal’s key men but he knows they will have to do it again against a strong Farney side while also imposing their own game on the encounter.

“There is no doubt that last year (in the Ulster final) we didn’t do a good job on Ryan McHugh and he caused us huge damage but we did a good job this year on Ryan, Patrick and Michael Murphy although Jamie Brennan did give us a wee bit of trouble.

“Monaghan also have players who can cause us trouble in Conor McManus, Kieran Hughes and Conor McCarthy, we know the quality that those players have, but we have got to play to our strengths, we have a very strong running game,” he added.

The draw was probably one that neither Monaghan or Fermanagh wanted but on the plus side for both is that they will not be going into the unknown with the two sides knowing each other very well at this stage.

“That’s the one benefit of playing Monaghan in that we know them well. There is obviously drawbacks in the quality that they have but you would like to think that having invested a lot of time into them last year, and I have come up against them a lot down through the years, you would know them by now. They will also know us too, there is no doubt about that, and I just think it is who improves most from their last display. We think that if we can continue to build on the quality we showed the last day and improve on a couple of wee key areas then we will be good enough to win the game,” said Gallagher.

The last time the two sides met was in the Ulster semi-final last year when Eoin Donnelly’s late goal secured a final berth for Fermanagh. There is no doubt that this will be an incentive for Malachy O’Rourke’s side as they look to avenge that result but Gallagher feels that his side more than held their own that day and is confident his side have what it takes to progress.

“We will respect Monaghan, we know that they have a huge amount of quality but I think there was a lot made of us getting a late goal that day.

“Yes, we were two points down but for a huge portion of that game we were in the lead and for a huge portion we were in control.

“We know if we can deliver the key ingredients of our performance then we are good enough to come out the right side,” he commented.

Gallagher is hoping to have a full hand to select from for the game with Sean Quigley the only real doubt at the minute. The Roslea forward carried a hamstring problem into the Donegal game and was forced off in the second half but Gallagher is hopeful that he will be alright for Sunday.

“It will be a late decision, he didn’t aggravate the injury any more that was the big thing. It was a fairly minor hamstring injury but it is one of those things that prevents you from opening out. We would be confident given the 14 days that we have had, that he will be there.

“Other than that we are good to go. We came out the other end of the game with no injuries which is great from our point of view,” he stated.

The management team won’t sit down to select the starting line up until later in the week but the manager does not envisage many changes to the side.

“Not really, as I said I’m happy with an awful lot of what we did so we won’t be going crazy with changes. I think an awful lot of players did a lot, and I think the challenge is for some of them to do a bit better individually and collectively. I think there is a bit more in a number of the boys, I thought we had four or five players who gave superb performances against Donegal but now it is about building on it and some of our leaders have to step up an lead when it counts.”

And now he wants them to go on and keep their summer alive by seeing off the big test that O’Rourke’s side will provide.

“We would feel that we put ourselves in a position to go to Division One and we didn’t close the deal, we put ourselves in a position were we had a chance of beating Donegal and we didn’t close it. That’s where we want to be, playing those better teams and that the huge challenge that Monaghan presents. We will be bitterly disappointed if we are not going beyond Sunday,” he concluded.