SEAN Quigley has had to bide his time and make do with occasional cameo appearances during the Dr McKenna Cup, but the burly Fermanagh forward is hoping to roar back into action once the National League gets under way next week.
Quigley played 57 minutes in the Erne County’s easy win over Antrim but didn’t feature at all in defeat to Monaghan and only came on for the last 18 minutes in the weekend reversal against Tyrone.
Having undergone surgery on a troublesome groin injury last year, Fermanagh boss Pete McGrath has treated the Roslea man with kid gloves during the pre-season competition.
But, with their Division Two opener against Down just over a week away, Quigley has staked a claim to come into McGrath’s thinking for a starting spot.
“I suppose I had the operation a couple of months ago,” he said.
“I was laid up a wee while, a wee bit longer than expected so I am just trying to get back on the pitch. Match fitness was probably never my strong point but it is all about playing football and I am enjoying it at the minute. I got a bit of game-time against Antrim.
“You have to take your time with these things. Look at Daryl Keenan there; he was out for nearly three years. Look at how frustrated he was, I was only out for three months.
“You just take your chances when they come. There is a strong panel there, so you can’t be out for too long or someone will have your jersey.”
Quigley made an instant impression after coming off the bench in Fermanagh’s three-point defeat to the Red Hands, clipping over two beautiful long-range frees.
But the fact the Ernemen came out on the wrong side of the result against the reigning Ulster champions , he says, negated any positives about his own performance.
He added: “I can’t really say that I enjoyed it when we got beaten by three points but it was nice to be back on the field in a tough game like that. Hopefully it will stand to us in a couple of weeks when we meet Down in the first round of the league.
“If you can take encouragement from getting beaten it is a bonus but we don’t want to do that. There was a final there to be made and we did not make it.
“Tyrone just pipped us and that has happened in the last couple of years but, like I say, the ultimate goal is looking forward to the Down game and we will look to get two points from there.”
Quigley first came into the Erne panel six years ago, and major strides have been made since McGrath came on board in November 2013.
“This is the strongest panel that I have been involved with,” said Quigley.
“It is a good panel, it has a strong backbone but we are a work in progress like everyone else.”
Yet, despite the improvements made, Fermanagh have still struggled to break through the glass ceiling, all too often coming up short against the big boys.
And Quigley believes Tyrone remain the benchmark in Ulster again this year after ending their six-year wait for a provincial title last July.
“I suppose so but Ulster is a very competitive province.
“Tyrone, at the minute, are at the pinnacle. They are the Ulster champions and we would like to think that we could match those teams, match the likes of Monaghan and Tyrone.
“We are definitely not far away; it is just getting the small things together and pushing on from there.”
