Enniskillen and Kinawley put on an entertaining and physical display last Saturday afternoon in Tempo as both sides went in search of top spot in Mannok SFC Group A.
The difference between the sides in the end were the two goals Enniskillen scored and it showed how important it was to take chances as the Borus were guilty of a number of poor misses, especially in the first half when they played with the wind.
Gaels manager, Simon Bradley, felt Conor McShea's goal late in the first half gave his side a cushion they would never relinquish.
"It put us in a good position for the second-half. We could just ride it out a bit then," said Bradley who praised Kinawley for their performance: "They are a decent team. They will give anybody trouble and when they get a couple of their players back they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
"We were fortunate we were the team that got the two goals. The players weren’t overly pleased but credit to Kinawley they definitely frustrated us and played defensively very well. We were happy to come out of there on top of the table."
Midway through the second-half, Enniskillen lost Richie O'Callaghan to a black card but Kinawley failed to capitalise on the advantage, with Bradley happy with his side's performance during this 10-minute period: "I think it finished 2-2 during that 10-minute period. It is something that we have looked at because it is getting more common in games. How to change your shape a wee bit and style of play just for that 10-minute period. We were happy with the way the boys managed that.
Bradley also commended referee Michael Keown on his performance as he let play flow but with the game now behind them, it is all focus on their semi-final in just over a week.
"It gives us a week now we can rest a few players and niggles to get sorted out," added Bradley who will be keeping a close eye on the fitness of Brandon Horan and Reihill brothers, Paddy and John.
Reflecting on the game, Kinawley manager, Dom Corrigan, felt his side spurned chances which in the end left them with too much to do: "We had a good enough first-half but left quite a few scores behind us. Enniskillen were much more efficient and put away their chances well. They were much more clinical than we were and the second-half followed a similar pattern and their late goal killed off any chance we had of getting a result.
"Enniskillen were good value for their win so we know we need to step up the level of performance this weekend."
Kinawley welcome Ederney in a home quarter-final tie and Corrigan is expecting a response from his team: "This is a big game now and we are looking forward to it. Ederney had a very good performance and result last weekend so we know this is going to be a huge challenge."
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