Fermanagh's league campaign was dealt a blow when 10 players tested positive for Covid-19. It was a blow the county never recovered from as the slipped down to Division Three of the National League following losses to Clare and Laois.

Defender Jonny Cassidy was one of the 10.

The Enniskillen Gaels player has been a welcome addition to the Fermanagh side as he brings a no nonsense attitude to defending and he has quickly established himself as one of the top defenders in the county, and he is still only 21 years old.

Cassidy recalls the days when his body fought against the virus and while he admits there are no lasting effects, he feels it did hamper his return to football forcing him to miss the crucial league game against Clare.

"Well it started off with bad headaches and that was for about two days constantly," recalled Cassidy. "And then I had a sore throat and cough.

"But for me after about three or four days it kind of wore off and I wasn’t that badly affected. Those first days you feel really tired with headaches, a sore throat and a cough. But after that I felt like I was grand but obviously you had to wait it out for 10 days in isolation."

Those 10 days did drag for Jonny as he was stuck in his bedroom with very little to do but thankfully the virus left his body.

Cassidy feels there was one knock on effect of the virus and it forced him to miss the trip to Ennis. A niggly hamstring injury meant he could not feature in the game and he admits it was probably from pushing hard after having done nothing for 10 days.

"I was in my room for 10 days and there is not much you can do. You can't really do any exercise or keep on top of what you need to be doing as an intercounty footballer.

"The first training session back it would have been tough but probably because I was in isolation for 10 days. I probably picked up the niggle from not doing anything for 10 days and then going straight into training and it took me out of the Clare game."

But the 21 year old was back in the Fermanagh defence for the Laois game and although he did not know how his body would hold up with the intensity of competitive football he was happy with how things went and with further training sessions under his belt he feels back to his old self.

This year has seen quite a bit of change in the Fermanagh squad. Ryan McMenamin took over the reins from Rory Gallagher and there has also been a number of players who have stepped away from the squad for various reasons.

Two of those were the Cullen twins, Che and Lee, who were massive cogs in the Fermanagh defensive system. Their loss and the likely loss of Ultan Kelm who hasn't featured at all for the county since the return to action means Cassidy is one of the leaders in that back line.

And he feels the absence of those players means other have the chance to step in and prove their worth.

"Obviously in my first year coming in you had boys like Che and Lee beside you and they kind of drove it on themselves. It's hard not having two players like that in your defence but we just have to get on with things and push it on yourself.

"It gives other boys an opportunity to step up now."

He points to the new players that have featured against Clare and Laois - Sean McNally, Luke Flanagan, Daire O'Cathain and Josh Largo-Ellis.

"The new lads who have come in have really impressed and pushed it on its always important to have new competition. I feel like it keeps everybody on their toes and I feel like they have brought that and they definitely don’t look out of place."

Cassidy is glad there is football to be played after the enforced break due to Covid-19 and is looking forward to the challenge Down will bring to Brewster Park on Sunday. He came up against the Mourne men in the 2020 Dr. McKenna Cup and he expects a tough encounter.

"We know what way they are going to set up. With Paddy Tally they are going to be well organised and going to look to hit us hard on the break. But we are really looking forward to the challenge Down will bring. This week has been about fine tuning things and working on those small things that let us down throughout the league and stopped us getting over the line. I feel a lot of progress has been made and hopefully now we peak at the right time," Cassidy concluded.