All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying round 1B: Wexford v Fermanagh (today, 5pm, Innovate Wexford Park)
FERMANAGH boss Pete McGrath has warned his players they will be coming up against a county that takes “great pleasure” from upsetting the odds in the back door when they take on Wexford today.
The Model stunned McGrath’s native Down at Innovate Wexford Park last summer, and the two-time All-Ireland winner is determined that Fermanagh won’t suffer a similar fate today.
His team travel to Innovate Wexford Park after seeing their dreams of landing the county’s first-ever Ulster title was ended by Donegal as they fell to a 2-12 to 0-11 quarter-final defeat 13 days ago.
Rallying the troops for another crack at the Qualifiers was not a difficult task, insists McGrath, especially considering the long and winding road led them to an August showdown with All-Ireland champions Dublin at Croke Park last year.
“The Donegal game was on the Sunday and we resumed training on the Wednesday night, and I was very encouraged by the attitude of the players,” said the Erne boss.
“Every team in the country will set out objectives and targets and yes, this group of players and management is very determined to land Fermanagh’s first Ulster Championship. We did place a lot of emphasis and importance on having a serious tilt at the Ulster Championship this year.
“But Donegal are still a very formidable team. We knew it was going to be a major challenge and on the day it didn’t work out. It’s gone, so you have to reset.”
With no injuries picked up in the Donegal game, and no Fermanagh league games since, the Ernemen are in good shape physically.
And McGrath knows that any dwelling on what might have been at Ballybofey could bring a premature end to the Championship summer.
He continued: “There is kind of a shortlist of teams that take great pleasure in taking so-called bigger scalps in the Qualifiers.
“Wexford plied their trade in Division Four but they run Kildare very close in the Leinster Championship and they are a team that can, on a given day, put it up to anyone.”
One major issue that will be of huge concern for McGrath is Fermanagh’s lack of goals.
The Ernemen only managed two majors during the National League, and squandered three golden chances against Donegal as Ruairi Corrigan and Ryan Jones failed to convert either side of Sean Quigley’s missed penalty.
“It’s something we have to try and address,” said the Rostrevor man.
“In any Championship you might only get one or two goalscoring chances, three if you’re really lucky, and you have to take at least one of them.
“Donegal created three – Chris Snow saved from [Patrick] McBrearty and they scored the other two. Now if we had taken two of our three goalscoring opportunities, then the scoreline takes on a hugely different complexion.”
With the experience of grinding out Qualifier wins over familiar foes Antrim, a fancied Roscommon and against Westmeath in Cavan last year, Fermanagh come into today’s game well aware of what is required.
Expect the Ernemen to avoid falling into Wexford’s trap, and keep their dreams of August football alive.
Team News
Wexford: A Masterson; J Rossiter, N Rossiter, J Wadding; B Malone, S Byrne, S Donohoe; C Kehoe, D Waters; K O’Grady, A Flynn, E Nolan; D Shanley, B Brosnan, J Tubritt
Fermanagh: C Snow; M Jones, C Cullen, M O’Brien; D McCusker, J McMahon, A Breen; E Donnelly, R O’Callaghan; B Mulrone, R Jones, P McCusker; R Corrigan, S Quigley, T Corrigan
