Fermanagh's Division Three campaign came to end last Sunday with the defeat to Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds and it rounded off a mixed bag for new manager Kieran Donnelly.

Two wins, two draws, three defeats and a mid-table finish would indicate that there was some good and some bad over the course of the seven games and that is exactly what there was.

Kieran Donnelly knows that this is not a quick fix, it is a three or four year rebuilding job and although none of the management would admit it, another year in Division Three will do Fermanagh no harm as this is the level that they are at at present.

The league started poorly for Fermanagh with that defeat at home to Antrim with the Saffrons dominating the closing period of the game to run out eight point winners.

It was followed by a draw against Wicklow in Aughrim but that is a game that Fermanagh could and should have won but missed far too many chances in the first half when they had a gale force breeze blowing at their backs.

Back to back wins against Longford and Laois though gave hope that maybe a promotion push was possible but the final three games saw defeats to promoted duo Louth and Limerick sandwiching a draw against Westmeath.

Louth and Limerick were the best two teams that Fermanagh played in the league and they deservedly were promoted but Division Three doesn't get any easier next season with Down and Offaly dropping down from Division Two while Cavan and Tipperary are coming up from Division Four. Four Ulster teams in the one division will make it very interesting and if anything even tougher to get out of next season.

Donnelly will have taken plenty of positives out of the league campaign, not least the progression of a number of the younger lads. The players from the St. Michael's team that won the Hogan Cup three years ago are now starting to settle into the team with the likes of Sean McNally, Garrett Cavanagh, Luke Flanagan, Josh Largo Elis, Brandon Horan and Joe McDade all starting to become regular features in the starting line up and their progression is good to see.

The likes of Johnny Cassidy and Darragh McGurn are also young but are firm fixtures in the side and mixed with that is the experience of Aidan Breen, Declan McCusker, Ryan Jones, Ryan Lyons, Sean Quigley and James McMahon who was Fermanagh's best performer over the course of the league.

The Erne management will also have been pleased about the goal threat that they carried in the competition. The side scored eight goals and created numerous other goal scoring opportunities which can only be a positive. However, those goals dried up in the last three games which will be a worry and of a greater concern will be the amount of goals that they conceded. Fermanagh failed to keep a clean-sheet throughout the league, shipping ten goals in all including three to Laois. A lot of those have come from players switching off and that is something the management will be keen to address.

There is no doubt that Donnelly has been hampered by the unavailability of some key personnel. He lost Eoin Donnelly to retirement before the season started, the Cullen twins - Che and Lee - would give the defence added physicality. The full back line is not the biggest but a Che Cullen in their would give it that big presence that it has lacked at times.

Ultan Kelm is still recovering from injury and his pace and power is another thing that Fermanagh have missed. We seen on Sunday with Limerick the importance of those two qualities to a team and they are very hard to defend against.

I'm sure the management would have loved to have had a look at Sean Cassidy but he too was ruled out with injury while they have also been without McCusker, the two McGullions - Shane and Stephen - and Tiarnan Bogue for long spells of the campaign and at times during the league the squad has been threadbare.

Given all that then Donnelly can be satisfied with the league while still knowing that there is a lot of work to do.

With the league now over the focus switches to the small matter of an Ulster Championship encounter against Tyrone at Brewster Park in just over a fortnight's time.

In many ways, it is a free hit for Fermanagh and no one will be giving them a chance which is just the way Fermanagh side's like it but Donnelly will be under no illusion of the size of the task that faces his side against the reigning All Ireland champions who are finding form at the right time.

There are areas that they are really going to have to improve on over the next two weeks and Fermanagh will not need telling the threats and the quality that the Red Hands possess.

But this is a game that they should really relish. A massive game in front of a home crowd at Brewster Park. It is where every player should want to be.