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August football not on the cards for McGrath's men this year

Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath says his side will have to take on the best teams in the country if they are to achieve their goals
Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath says his side will have to take on the best teams in the country if they are to achieve their goals Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath says his side will have to take on the best teams in the country if they are to achieve their goals

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers round 3A: 


Fermanagh v Roscommon (tomorrow, Brewster Park, 3.30pm)

AFTER the defeat to Monaghan in the Ulster SFC semi-final, Pete McGrath said Fermanagh’s primary aim was to be playing football in August.

When the draw for this weekend’s Round 3A Qualifier was made, the Erne men were drawn against Roscommon and the bookies have John Evans’ side priced at 8/15 to progress.

McGrath knows his side can’t have All-Ireland quarter-final aspirations and expect everything to be plain sailing.

“If you want to be playing football in August, you’re going to have to accept that you’ll be playing some very good teams along the way and at this moment in time, I would rate Roscommon in that bracket,” he said.

“They have won promotion to Division One and they came to Breffni Park last weekend and beat Cavan fairly convincingly.

“We all know their strengths. Physically they are very imposing and they are building on their U21 success.

“They pose a considerable threat and we know that.

“We are going to go into it with confidence and if we learn the lessons from earlier in the season – particularly the Monaghan game – then we feel we have more than a fighting chance.”

The Ernemen’s defeat to Monaghan was sandwiched in between wins over Antrim. Sean Quigley’s 14-point haul against the Saffrons in last weekend’s Qualifier set them on their way to an emphatic 13-point win although McGrath would have been looking for a stiffer test ahead of their meeting with Roscommon.

One thing the Erne county won’t lack is confidence.

McGrath is expected to shuffle the pack to accommodate veteran defender Ryan McCluskey at centre-back after serving his one-game suspension while Tomas Corrigan, Barry Mulrone and Paul McCusker are able to break defensive lines with their running off the shoulder.

Quigley played further out the field than normal against Antrim last weekend and with the full-back line seen at Roscommon’s weak spot, the Rostrevor man has options after Ryan Jones spent much of the Antrim game perched on the square.

“Getting space is becoming increasingly more difficult in the modern game,” said the All-Ireland winning manager.

“We know we will have to be smart and time our runs. I think what you need in any forward line is versatility.

“It is no longer a healthy situation if a player is pigeonholed as a full-forward, or left half forward or corner-back so that’s why we mixed it up against Antrim.

“Forwards have to be able to bring something unexpected that the opposition haven’t planned for. Sean had the golden touch against Antrim and maybe Ryan sacrificed his game for the good of the team. We’re always trying to tweak things.”

While Fermanagh will be chomping at the bit for the throw-in on Sunday, the reality is that Roscommon can match the majority of teams in the country on their day.

They cruised to victory over Cavan without ace attacker Diarmuid Murtagh, captain Niall Carty, midfielder Cathal Shine and powerhouse full-forward Senan Kilbride and the quartet remain doubtful for this weekend’s clash.

Despite their casualties and the on-going criticism aimed at the Rossies following their defeat to Sligo, five of their six forwards were confident enough to find the target against Terry Hyland's uber-defensive Breffnimen.

Ciaran Murtagh, Donie Shine and Ultan Harney all hit 0-3 each, Cathal Cregg notched 1-1 while Enda Smith was unplayable with a tally of 2-1.

“Roscommon have taken a bit of stick for that Sligo game but they bounced back against Cavan,” said McGrath.

“Travelling doesn’t seem to bother them so they are coming to Enniskillen as favourites in a lot of people’s eyes. That doesn’t phase us too much at all.

“This group of player I am looking after have worked exceptionally hard and there are a lot of good qualities within the group.

“If they want to make a break into big-time football, then they have to be prepared to go shoulder-t—shoulder with teams like Roscommon and come out on top. Sunday is a big test and it’s one of those game that will show where we are at and tell us where we are going in the short term.”

McGrath is undoubtedly the man to bring Fermanagh to the next level but playing football when the leaves begin to turn is perhaps a step too far this year.