Fermanagh midfielder Brandon Horan says that promotion is the target for the Ernemen ahead of their opener this weekend at home to Longford – although he knows that there are going to be plenty of other counties with the same goal.

“As with any year, we are aiming to get promoted. Last year we felt we could have, if everything went for us, but unfortunately it didn’t.

“It was good experience and a few lessons were learned, but we should be better prepared to give it a good go this year.

“The main target for the league is to get promoted; training has been going well and hopefully we can push on,” said the Enniskillen Gaels clubman.

Horan acknowledges though that Division Three is going to be very tough to navigate, with a lot of good teams in the division.

“Offaly and Down coming down are two very good teams. We played Offaly a couple of years ago in Offaly and they ended up beating us well.

“Down have a good manager there with Conor Laverty, and they went well in the McKenna Cup.

“They are going to be two tough tests, and then you have the likes of Cavan and Westmeath. It is going to be a very difficult division,” he added.

A win in the first game is always something that teams target and Fermanagh are no different, especially with it being a home game.

“We are lucky in a sense that it is a home fixture. It is our first game, so there will be a big crowd and Fermanagh supporters always get behind us and give us good energy from the stands, so we will definitely be looking to get a win on our home patch on the first day out.”

Horan knows though that they will face a Longford side who will have been boosted by their O’Byrne Cup victory. But he says that Fermanagh’s main focus will be on their own performance.

“They did very well to win that and they won it comfortably enough in the end.

“They seem to be going well; we have played them a few times so we would know a lot about them, but it is all about doing our job and sticking to our tasks on the day,” he added.

On a personal level, Horan feels he is in a good place at present as he is injury-free and is keen to cement his place in the starting line-up.

“I’ve had a few injuries in the past but hopefully I’m over that. I know last year coming towards Championship, I was getting wee niggles that were keeping me out and missing games, but hopefully that is all behind me.

“I feel in good shape and I feel that I have physically developed, so the main thing is to stay injury-free and hopefully put my hand up for a place.”

The midfielder returned to the county set-up on the back of a terrific club season that saw Enniskillen secure a first Senior championship title in 16 years, and he wants now to push on with Fermanagh.

“It was a great year with the club and it is great to get a bit of silverware, but county is a different ball game – it is up a level, and the standards are raised.

“It was nice to get success, but you have to carry it into county.

“As soon as you leave club you are always looking to county to see what can you add, what can you bring in and what can you learn. It is about pushing on, now,” he said.