Just a point separates Fermanagh and Donegal in Division Two of the National Football League after two games as they prepare for their clash in Letterkenny on Saturday.

For Fermanagh, this game will be seen as a marker of how they can compete with the so-called bigger counties, while for Donegal they will be expected by many to make three wins on the bounce in Jim McGuinness' second stint as manager.

It was something similar in 2019 when Fermanagh produced a shock to claim the Tir Chonaill scalp.

For Fermanagh manager, Kieran Donnelly, testing his side against the likes of Donegal is a good thing for the players and the county: "When you are county footballer no matter what level you are at, what division you still put the same amount of time and effort in so you want to be competing at the top end of it.

"And I think only naturally when you are playing the top teams it forces you to be better - mentally and physically and technically in certain situations.

"I think for the boys, the longer we can stay in these top divisions then the better as a team we become and I think that is very much our focus for the season."

Donegal appear to have been re-energised by the return of McGuinness to the helm but while this has created a boost in itself, Donnelly feels some of the players he has brought on have also added to the squad.

 "They have added a bit of quality. I suppose Oisin Gallen has come to the fore. He was the key man against Cavan. He really was standout.

"Odhran Doherty was exceptional against Cork at 11 so they have brought two or three players through that have probably given them that mix with experience.

"Ciaran Moore at 7 is a tidy wing half-back and is quality from deep.

"Those three or four players he has integrated into I suppose an experienced team with the likes of [Ciaran] Thompson and  Paddy McBrearty and Brendan McCole so they have that mix of youth and experience."

Donnelly knows that against a side of Donegal's quality, Fermanagh will be punished if they are not up to the pitch of the game.

But he added that this is not so much down to changing gameplans but more to do with other aspects of the game.

"I think in Division Two in general your gameplan doesn’t overly change but you have to be very, very focussed on the pace that you play the game at and moving the ball quickly in certain areas of the pitch.

"Because the top teams are very good at pinning you in and setting traps. You have to know when to go and when to go in and when to go out and to move the ball quickly and to move opposition teams about.

"We know Donegal bring size. Their goalkeeper is a big player for them. He set up several scores against Cavan so we have to be alert to that aspect too.

"And one thing they do bring is they can score from distance in the likes of Ciaran Thompson, [Michael] Langan and [Jason] McGee are all players that are very comfortable at striking from 40-50 metres. That’s something we have to be very wary of.

"At times we stood off Kildare at stages and let them score two or three points near the end that brought them back into the game. We can't afford to do that against the likes of Donegal because they will be extremely clinical."

The Kildare victory will no doubt have given the Fermanagh players a confidence boost. 

It also creates good selection issues for the Erne manager between the posts.

Sean McNally and Ross Bogue have played a game each in the league, both acquitting themselves well. 

"I had intended to go into the league and rotate them for the first two games and then judge it going forward on that and that's healthy for the team. It adds that wee bit extra to training.

"It’s a tough call I'll have to make on Thursday night going into the Donegal game.

"Both players are really much pushing each other on. Both handled themselves well in their first two games so it will be very much tactical the call going into the Donegal game."

Elsewhere, Donnelly reported no further injuries since the Kildare match, however, for some of the longer term injuries, this game comes too early in their recovery, with the latter parts of the league the target for the likes of Johnny Cassidy and Ryan Lyons.

But Donnelly is happy with how the squad have prepared for Saturday's game and it is a challenge they are looking forward to: "There has been a bounce off the first two performances.

"The boys have trained well. They know this is going to be a step up so we couldn’t slacken off.

"We know Donegal are probably on the crest of a wave with the new appointment and two wins under their belt and there's no doubt they have pace and size and that bit of experience to their team.

"But it's definitely a challenge our boys are ready for and looking forward to."