Aine McGovern would love nothing more to be running out on the pitch with the Fermanagh ladies team on Saturday.

The 31-year-old knows all about winning an All-Ireland having captained the side to glory in the 2017 Junior Championship.

However, pregnancy has meant she has had to put playing football to one side but she has been helping management out to stay involved with the squad.

“It’s good to get out of the house. I’m off work now too so it’s something to get away from everything that is going on and meet up with the girls,” said McGovern.

“I’m so happy for the girls but obviously you would love to be playing but it’s great.”

Despite not being able to play, McGovern has seen just how hard the players have worked to get this far and she is confident if they play to their ability they can go one step further than last year and win the competition.

“I truly believe they will go the whole way on Saturday and they more than deserve that because they have put in the work throughout lockdown.

“I’ve seen the work they have put in and the nights since we have been back out training together so they definitely deserve it and hopefully it will work out on Saturday.”

There is plenty of experience around the squad that will face Wicklow in Parnell Park and this along with the hurt from last year gives Fermanagh plenty of motivation for the final.

“Some of the girls in the panel where there when we lost in 2014 and then in 2017 when we won. The girls that are there know exactly what is involved. We lost one last year too but they have put in the hard work in training so it’s about bringing it to the pitch on Saturday and sticking to the way they can play together and just bring the best team performance they can.”

Many feel that Fermanagh did not perform in last year’s final defeat to Louth, McGovern included, but she hopes the way things have went this year it may play to their advantage:

“Any one would agree that last year what happened, was it nerves or excitement or whatever, but they didn’t turn up in Croke Park and it is horrible whenever you do train so hard. The easy part is getting to a final, the hard part is winning it and Fermanagh ladies through the years their record, they can get to the final but then on final day it just gets to them.

“I think maybe this year with Covid it might be a blessing in disguise.

“There is not as much hype about it and they can focus on the training and maybe go out and think of it as just another game.

“And that’s they way we are going with it and hopefully that’s the way it’ll turn up on Saturday and they will be All-Ireland winners at the end of it.”

Wicklow will be favourites in the final having already beaten Fermanagh in the group stages, but McGovern feels the Erne side have improved since that game and she hopes that improvement will continue come Saturday.

“It was the first game back after lockdown whereas Wicklow had played the week before but that’s not an excuse.

“The girls know they didn’t perform, they didn’t play to the system they have been training on but from that you can see they have improved each game so hopefully on Saturday it will be better again,” added McGovern.