Football

Fermanagh expected to get off to winning start under new boss Rory Gallagher

Fermanagh boss Rory Gallagher and former Tyrone star Ryan McMenamin will hope the Ernemen can begin life in Division Three with a flourish at Brewster Park tomorrow. Picture by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
Fermanagh boss Rory Gallagher and former Tyrone star Ryan McMenamin will hope the Ernemen can begin life in Division Three with a flourish at Brewster Park tomorrow. Picture by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile Fermanagh boss Rory Gallagher and former Tyrone star Ryan McMenamin will hope the Ernemen can begin life in Division Three with a flourish at Brewster Park tomorrow. Picture by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile

Allianz National Football League Division Three: Fermanagh v Wexford (tomorrow, 2pm, Brewster Park)

RELEGATION is rarely welcomed, but Rory Gallagher might not be too unhappy about beginning his Fermanagh rebuilding job in the calmer waters of Division Three instead of planning for a survival mission.

The bookies have the Ernemen second favourites for promotion behind Armagh, and the League should provide Gallagher with the opportunity to continue putting his own stamp on the team rather than glancing nervously in the rear-view mirror.

They are boosted by the fact that, of their six games, four will be played at Brewster Park, including tomorrow’s opener against Wexford.

Last year Fermanagh lost heavily on away trips to Cork, Kildare and Meath, while this campaign sees them travel to Sligo and Westmeath – avoiding possible overnighters in Wexford and Offaly.

In that respect, the schedule appears to have played into Gallagher’s hands upon his return to his native county. And, if you can really take anything from the Dr McKenna Cup, then early indications on the field are also positive.

Last year, perhaps because so many players were either injured or unavailable, the Ernemen played a very conservative brand of football and lacked the firepower to really trouble the better counties.

The returning Seamus Quigley racked up the scores during the McKenna Cup, though whether he can continue in that vein during the League is another question. More significant is the expected return of Tomas Corrigan, while Derrygonnelly’s Conall Jones and Sean Quigley are strong options for Gallagher.

Aidan Breen brings plenty of energy to the half-forward line and will be a key figure going forward, while experienced defender Mickey Jones is also likely to return to the fray.

Built on defensive solidity during the Pete McGrath years, Fermanagh creaked at times in 2017, shipping 12 goals through the League.

Gallagher looks to have brought some of the steel back, conceding relatively low scores through the McKenna Cup – although the awful weather conditions contributed hugely to the low-scoring semi-final defeat to Tyrone.

As displayed against the Red Hands, midfield could be the Ernemen’s strongest suit, with Eoin Donnelly and Ryan Jones a match for most.

And what of Wexford? They come into tomorrow’s game on the back of promotion from Division Four. However, with so much happening in the time between, it seems like a lifetime since the jump was secured.

Under new boss Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney, they blitzed through the early rounds of the League, beating Limerick, Leitrim, Waterford, Wicklow and London to seal the deal at the earliest possible juncture.

Bizarrely though, after making a raft of changes in the final two games, McEnaney’s men shipped heavy defeats at home to Westmeath (24 points) and Carlow (10 points).

Their early season momentum derailed, defeats to the Barrowmen in Leinster and then Monaghan in the Qualifiers ensured the summer was over at the start of July.

By the end of 2017 McEnaney was gone, subsequently replaced by Pat McLoughlin.

And, despite a surprise win over a Dublin reserve team in the O’Byrne Cup, the Kildare native has had a tough enough start to his tenure, losing some key men in PJ Banville, Shane Roche and Joey Wadding while Jake Firman, Michael O’Regan and Colm Kehoe all opted to throw their lot in with Davy Fitzgerald’s hurlers.

McLoughlin will be keen to avoid the drop back down to the fourth tier but, with so many new players expected to be given game-time, that could be a tough ask – and one made all the tougher by defeat tomorrow.