Fermanagh manager Ryan McMenamin has stressed that winning their home games is going to be key for Fermanagh if they are to secure their Division Two status.

The Ernemen have three games at Brewster Park out of their last four, starting this Saturday against Cavan and McMenamin points out that home advantage has been crucial in Division Two to date.

“I think Cavan’s win over Laois last Sunday was the first away game that a team has won in this division and it shows how important home games are. When we look back at the Westmeath game; even if we could have got a point out of the game it would have been useful but we didn’t get it.

“Every team is very hard to beat at home and you have to take your points at home while any points you lose at home it leaves you looking over your shoulder. There is a massive plus in playing at home and we have to make everything go for us on Saturday night,” he stated.

And he says that it is up to the management and players to get the supporters right behind them from the start on Saturday night.

“It is up to the players and us to get the crowd behind us early doors and not sit and wait for it to happen. Once we get the crowd going you seen against Roscommon they get right in behind the team but as I say that is up to us and the players to do that. If we want to stay up we have to win our home games.”

McMenamin made the trip to Portlaoise last Sunday to see Cavan comfortably defeat Laois and he knows the size of the challenge that awaits his side.

“I thought they were very good considering the elements and I thought they probably played better against the gale than with it. They are a very good team; the whole half back line was very good and Thomas Galligan stood out in the middle of the field.

“People were writing them off too early after the Armagh defeat and it is an upward climb for them now and they will have us in their sights as they look to push on for promotion so it is a massive game for both sides.

“It is going to be a tough game and it’s like any other game, you have to be prepared to make a fight of it. We didn’t make a fight of it in the first half against Westmeath and paid the penalty for it,” he added.

Cavan will also come into the game with good momentum as back to back wins has pushed them from bottom up to second in the table.

“They have momentum after two good wins, coming back from the dead against Westmeath and then away to Laois. The Westmeath result gave them a good impetus and they built on that against Laois. One thing I took away from the Laois game was that it was a complete team performance and the subs who came off the bench made a difference,” he said.

Fermanagh have started slowly in both of their last two games against Roscommon and Westmeath and McMenamin says that it is something they have spoken about ahead of the derby clash with the Breffnimen.

“The last couple of games we haven’t started well and we have to target a better start on Saturday night. We spoke about it during the week and hopefully it is something that we can bring on Saturday night because if we make the same sort of start against Cavan as we did against Westmeath we will be more than six points down.”

In terms of the squad though McMenamin will have a number of players returning.

“We are lucky enough in that we have Ruairi Corrigan and James Allen back training, they have completed the last four or five sessions with the team.

“James McMahon should be raring to go too. He did two or three sessions before the Westmeath game but he got a bit of cramp during the warm up for that game so we decided to hold him back and get a few more sessions under his belt which he has and he is in contention. Richie (O’Callaghan) and Che (Cullen) are also back in contention.

“And we also have four U20s coming back in and they are all showing up well at training so when you take it all into consideration it gives us a number of options,” he stated.

However, McMenamin feels that the Cavan game will be too soon for forward Tomás Corrigan.

“Tomás is a bit off it at the minute, the injury is taking longer than we thought. Hopefully he will back on Thursday night but it is probably a bit too early for the Cavan game.”