If you happened to look at the preview in last week's paper about the Derry match after the heavy defeat in Owenbeg, you may well have concluded that this journalist has little or no clue about Gaelic football.

However, Fermanagh should not have feared Derry and they are not as bad as they showed last weekend.

It was an off day for the players but they have the chance to put it right and show that rather than the Cavan victory being a one-off it was the Derry performance which will be the odd one out.

Longford come to Brewster Park on Saturday afternoon along with spectators with a win for the Erne men putting them in a strong position for a promotion spot.

Longford are winless so far in Division Three but they cannot be discounted. It took a strong second-half performance from Cavan to eventually push away.

They have players that need to be watched closely such as Darren Gallagher, Joseph Hagan Rian Brady and Robbie Smyth.

With five out of their six forwards getting on the scoresheet against Cavan, Fermanagh will need to get back to the defensive levels they showed against Cavan.

There will be learnings to take from the Derry defeat, but the players cannot linger too much on it. They need to get over it quickly and make sure they are ready to show what they are made of on Saturday.

For the younger players in this Fermanagh team, it will be interesting to see what the reaction is to such a heavy defeat.

Will youthful exuberance heal the scars of Owenbeg? We will have to wait and see.

With many heavy defeats, changes are expected but Fermanagh boss Ryan McMenamin seems to have a lot of faith in his young charges and he may well allow them to redeem themselves on Saturday.

But if not there is a bit of depth in the Fermanagh squad which means that if there are changes to be made the players coming in are well capable of doing a job

One concern for Fermanagh will be the availability of captain Eoin Donnelly, who went off early on against Derry.

Derry dominated around the middle and getting a stranglehold around here without Donnelly will be a big task.

But if Fermanagh can, it will help the defence tighten up and not be as easily cut open as they were against Derry.

Cavan failed to create a goal chance and this is what Fermanagh will have to aim for again.

His experience and ability to bring the team along with him can not be underestimated and if he is absent for the Longford clash others will need to step up.

The positive is that there is experience to replace him in the likes of Declan McCusker, Aidan Breen and Richard O'Callaghan likely chomping at the bit to get a first start of the season.

Along with Sean Quigley, Ciaran Corrigan, James McMahon, Jonny Cassidy, there is enough there to help the younger players like Luke Flanagan, Josh Largo-Elis, Sean Cassidy and Conor Love move on.

While there will be things to take from the Derry game, the Cavan victory should give optimism to the supporters that this team can produce a strong performance and play good football.

The positivity shown in that opening league game has to be replicated. The tenacity and drive shown from those who started and the players who were introduced needs to return to those levels once more.

Cavan came to Brewster as Ulster champions, Fermanagh deservedly beat them.

With the return of crowds to games, the partisan support should be a boost for Fermanagh.

Players don't want to play behind closed doors, they want supporters there.

And if the players' attitude is right on Saturday, Fermanagh should be confident of getting the win.

A win will show that this team has a bit of something about them, a mental toughness that will stand them in good stead.

But if they retreat into their shell and lick their wounds, relegation is a possibility and more questions will be asked.