Derrygonnelly defender Garvan McGinley is keen for the Harps to now kick on and make their mark in Ulster.

The Harps only win to date in Ulster came three years ago when they defeated Armagh Harps at Brewster Park before losing the semi-final to Cavan Gaels after a replay.

It would be fair to say that the draw has also not been kind to Derrygonnelly who have faced Slaughtneil twice and Scotstown in their other Ulster campaigns.

McGinley though is adamant that the Harps are good enough to mix it with the best in the province with the Antrim champions awaiting in the preliminary round on October 20.

“There is no point being in it unless you want to go on,” he said.

“We believe that we should have done better with some of our previous campaigns but we want to be playing the best teams in Ulster and we believe we are good enough to be competing against these teams.

“Look, whoever comes out of Antrim will be a good side and it will be a tight, tough game like all Ulster games are but it is one that we will be looking forward to.”

Five Fermanagh championships in a row is obviously a big feat for McGinley and his teammates and he feels that this one was maybe the sweetest of the lot.

It’s probably the sweetest, I probably felt more emotional at the end there than with any of them,” he said.

“Everyone was saying that we were there for the taking this year and maybe we were.

“We lost really good players like Leigh Jones, Wardy, Gary McKenna, three forwards that any club would love to have, and then Dennis Greene, that’s another man that was lost and to lose those type of players and still go on to win it probably contributes in making it as sweet as any,” he explained.

Heavy rain meant that it was always going to be a battle but McGinley felt that they got on top in the ten minute period before half time.

“Conditions were really poor so it was always going to be tough and Roslea are a championship team too so it was never going to be a case of anyone running away with it.

“I think both teams sat back early on and wanted to keep it tight enough.

“I think that they were dominating on breaks early on and although they got the goal we were not giving them any easy scores.

“I felt then that maybe those ten minutes before half time we then got on top on breaks and got a few scores,” he said.

And Garvan believes that they went on to control things in the second half.

“We controlled it well in the second half. When it came down to it and when it mattered I think we kept the ball well and we probably just managed to keep them at arms length at the end. Aidy got that point to seal it and it was relief then when the final whistle went,” said McGinley.