Fermanagh manager, Sean Duffy, is confident that he will see a “good reaction” from his side this Sunday when they entertain Leitrim in the second round of the National Hurling League 3B. 
The game is down for a 2pm start with a venue yet to be confirmed with the Erne men looking to bounce back from a chastening defeat at the hands of Lancashire in the opening round.
“The game against Lancashire was a bit of a rude awakening for the team but I don’t think it is a fair reflection of where we are, to be honest,” Duffy explained.
The 2-25 to 1-11 defeat in that opening game was a difficult pill to swallow for the Fermanagh men especially as they had been leading on the 20-minute mark. The subsequent capitulation might just stand to this young team however as they look to learn quickly from that experience and Duffy revealed that he has been very happy with the response to date;
“I have to say that training has really been excellent. Just looking at the players you can see that they are really focused, really zoned in now. With the weather, it has been difficult to get all the work done that you would have liked but in terms of what the players have given and how they have reacted, we have been very pleased and I’m a lot happier than I was three weeks ago.”
Fermanagh and Leitrim are old foes at this stage having played each other on many occasions over the last number of years and Duffy certainly knows what to expect when the sides clash at Brewster Park on Sunday.
“There is never much between ourselves and Leitrim. We might have lost a few players but we have gained some too. They might be further down the line in terms of development than ourselves and they are a big strong physical side but we are really looking forward to getting out there at this stage.”
Fermanagh are without Eoin Mahon due to a hamstring injury but they will be able to welcome back the experienced Ryan Bogue at the weekend. The Lisbellaw man missed out on the Lancashire game as he was on his honeymoon but back from his nuptial travels, he will add some much-needed guile and an additional scoring threat to the Fermanagh team. Barry Duffy is also very close to a return having recovered from a cruciate knee injury suffered last March and like Bogue his presence will be a big plus for the Fermanagh set up while the Erne manager also revealed that he has seen a real improvement in the younger players within the squad.
“I think they have really come on. The likes of Dylan Bannon and Barry McPhillips, who both played well the first day, I can even see in the last few weeks that they have come on again so we are in a better place,” Duffy revealed before concluding. “I think we will see a reaction this weekend and I’m confident that we will see a big performance against Leitrim, to be honest.”