After battling through the tough years, Enniskillen captain Richard O’Callaghan finally got his reward last year when he led the Gaels to the New York Cup for the first time since 2006.

A chunk of O’Callaghan’s playing career was spent soldiering at Intermediate level and they were very close to dropping into Junior at one stage but back-boned by the Ulster Minor Club winning team Enniskillen were able to climb back to the top of Fermanagh club football last year with O’Callaghan lifting the New York Cup following their final win over Erne Gaels.

“It was great and it was deserved,” said O’Callaghan. “There was a big effort put in last year, in fact over the last three or four years, and it was always the aim with the quality of player there to win championships so it was good to get across the line last year and finally get one.”

The previous year, Enniskillen had lost the decider to Derrygonnelly and O’Callaghan acknowledges that left them in no doubt about what they had to do if they were to go on and win one.

“It was more physically than everything else. The boys wanted to win and know what it takes to win but maybe physically they weren’t there.

“There were two games against Derrygonnelly in particular that showed that. We played them in a league semi final in Kinawley a few years ago and then there was the championship final (in 2021) and there was a dark realisation for the boys with regards the conditioning work that had to be put in.

“From then on the attitude towards that type of thing has been great.They have put a big effort in over the last couple of years in conditioning work and doing the right things. There was a conscious effort on that,” he said.

And having won that first Senior Championship title, O’Callaghan says that there is a hunger for more success within the squad.

“Obviously, that is what you would want and the boys realise that there could be something there in terms of competing at that level over the next number of years and they are willing to make sacrifices and put in extra work to try and achieve that,” he added.

The Gaels come into the championship on the back of an up and down league campaign. A number of players spent the summer in America but the majority are home now and O’Callaghan says that they are now looking to push on.

“Preparations have gone well as they could. They were a bit disjointed with boys coming back from America and boys coming back from holidays and stuff and that was things that we didn’t have last year so it has been different from last year if you compare the two.

“It has come together now though and we will use the group games as much as we can to hopefully build momentum and get boys bedded back and try and push on from there.”

Enniskillen have been grouped with Kinawley, Ederney and Devenish and the Gaels captain is expecting three tough games as the sides battle to make it through to the knock out stages.

“Ederney have come together over the course of the league, they finished the league out really well and would have been in the league final only for Kinawley getting a late goal in their final game to put them out of it.

“I was very impressed with Kinawley in the league final in terms of their commitment and how they dealt with Derrygonnelly and Derrygonnelly’s threats. We have played Ederney and Kinawley now the last number of years so we know what they will bring.

“Devenish have been going well in Division Two and we seen them last weekend against Roslea and they looked impressive. They looked solid and they have a good management team so they will be organised and know what they are at. It’s a tough section but it will make for six good games in the group, I would imagine.”

It is Ederney though who are first up and O’Callaghan knows that picking up that win in the first game will be something that both teams will be determined to do.

“Both teams will feel it is important to win and get off on the front foot. There is a big importance in that first game and with it being a home game for Ederney they will be targeting it massively.

“From our point of view though we will target it too. We have great respect for Ederney but we also know what we are capable of and with the way preparations have went we would be confident of a good performance and being competitive and hopefully we can come out on the right end of the result,” he said.