Football

Fermanagh hit biggest tally for seven years to down Laois

Ciaran Corrigan was one of Fermanagh's three goalscorers on Saturday, turning in a fine performance alongside Sean Quigley in the full-forward line. Picture by Philip Walsh
Ciaran Corrigan was one of Fermanagh's three goalscorers on Saturday, turning in a fine performance alongside Sean Quigley in the full-forward line. Picture by Philip Walsh Ciaran Corrigan was one of Fermanagh's three goalscorers on Saturday, turning in a fine performance alongside Sean Quigley in the full-forward line. Picture by Philip Walsh

Allianz Football Leagues Division Three: Fermanagh 3-15 Laois 3-9

FERMANAGH 3-15. Let’s start there.

You have to go back seven years, to a league win over Limerick in the spring of 2015, to find an Erne scoring tally that beats Saturday’s.

The bits around the edges fell nicely. The sun graced Brewster Park with its glorious presence. A dry sod and a predictable Laois team that seemed to want to kick them the ball back every time they had it contributed.

Fermanagh punished, then punished some more, and then a bit more again.

Sean Quigley was at his absolute majestic best. He has played more good games for his county than most men could ever dream of but this was right at the very, very top of the list.

1-3 from play, another two from frees, does some bare-numbered justice. But it was the manner of the scores. Two of them he kicked absolutely blind, without so much as a glance at the posts, from almost impossible positions.

And then there was the playmaking. A ball over the top for Josh-Largo Ellis, played blind again, putting his wing-man in on goal.


One off the laces of the left, crossfield, through the eye of a needle into the run of Conall Jones.


It was an endless display of the effortless excellence he’s capable of, but which partly relies – as any forward does – on having a bit of space in which to do it.

Ciaran Corrigan was all pace and directness, hitting 1-3 after being buoyed by a brilliant first-half goal that set Fermanagh alight in the game.

A mess made of a short kickout had allowed Gary Walsh to fire low past Cian Newman for an early Laois goal. The visitors led by 1-2 to 0-4 when Fermanagh lost captain Declan McCusker to “a precaution”, having felt his Achilles tight all week and flaring up again.

Then Corrigan burst off the shoulder, through the tackle and used the far post to beat Matthew Byron, son of the great Fergal, and Fermanagh had their foothold.

Two minutes later, Sean Quigley used his head and his arse to outmanoeuvre young Jack Kelly. The Roslea man got his body between man and ball, used it to spin and then threw a dummy handpass to sell Byron down the river and open a near-post gap into which he could finish.

Darragh McGurn caught four fantastic marks at midfield, while Ryan Jones, Ryan Lyons and Aidan Breen all had fine games, but it was all about Fermanagh’s inside pairing.

“It’s a long time probably since we scored 3-15,” said Donnelly.

“We’ve probably always had [the idea of having no forwards] thrown at us as a county. We have quality players, sometimes it’s a bit of confidence and a bit of energy, and somebody getting off that final pass, which I felt we did, we always had options.”

That brings us from Fermanagh’s 3-15 to Laois’ 3-9.

Laois scored what’s ordinarily a match-winning tally even though they just kept giving the ball away.

They were looking to kick all the time, just as they had against Antrim last weekend, but so much of it was driven straight down James McMahon’s throat. It wasn’t even particularly hard work for Fermanagh to win the ball back.

Billy Sheehan’s side received a degree of praise in the early-season for their directness but Division Three has already figured them out.

Fermanagh were far more than six points a better side on Saturday, but allowed the Leinster men to stay alive through the concession of really poor goals.

The first was bad, and the second was 10 times worse. Gary Walsh dropped a 13-metre free short but between Newman and McMahon on the line, they collided and knocked the ball right into the path of Mark Barry, who drilled home from five yards.

That made it 2-6 to 2-3 moments into the second half but Ryan Lyons, who had a really good afternoon after moving to wing-back when McCusker went off, kicked back-to-back scores straight away.

There was never any sense that Laois were going to come and take the game away. They had no platform.

Despite being loaded with big units in the middle, Laois suffered the same aerial hammering as they had at times against Antrim.

McGurn’s domination of the air was only sporadically challenged, and Josh Largo-Ellis did a lot of groundwork that allowed Fermanagh to control the breaks too.

Ryan Jones and Ryan Lyons combined to set McGurn into a barely visible gap that he ripped open through sheer ignorance, driving into the roof of Byron’s net to push Fermanagh seven clear again with just over 20 minutes to play.

The hosts managed to concede a third goal too, though it was well-taken by Mark Barry, who came on to Cormac Murphy’s mishit shot perfectly at the far post, stepping inside to roll into the far corner.

Tyrone’s onlooking, sun-beaten management of Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher will have learned plenty, not least the danger of Fermanagh’s inside duo if they’re given the ball and any bit of space at all.

April 16 and the Ulster Championship visit of “the best team in Ireland” is writ large on Fermanagh’s whiteboard.

“You have it in the back of your head, you know they’re coming down the line,” said Donnelly.

“We really have to be at it, a lot better than we were today to compete at their level as well.

“We’re trying to take each league game as it comes and arrive at that date confident, with wins under our belts and take it from there.

“It’s a great opportunity to play the All-Ireland champions in Brewster Park – that’s probably never been done, so that in itself is excellent for the players and something you strive for.”

In the shorter term, while they leave Laois facing a dogfight, Fermanagh have moved back into a promotion race that could now hinge on this weekend’s clash with Mickey Harte’s Louth.

MATCH STATS


Fermanagh: C McNamee; G Cavanagh, J Cassidy, L Flanagan; A Breen, J McMahon, D McCusker; R Jones (0-2), C Jones (0-1), B Horan; R Lyons (0-2), D McGurn (1-0), J Largo-Ellis (0-1); C Corrigan (1-3), S Quigley (1-5, 0-2 frees)


Subs: D Leonard for D McCusker (29), R O’Callaghan for Breen (68), G Jones (0-1) for C Jones (68), Stephen McGullion for Horan (73)


Yellow cards: None

Laois: M Byron; J Kelly, A Mohan (0-1); T Collins; S O’Flynn, J O’Loughlin, G Dillon; K Lillis (0-1 mark), J Finn; B Byrne (0-1), E Lowry, P O’Sullivan; M Barry (2-1), E O’Carroll (0-1), G Walsh (1-4, 0-4 frees)


Subs: A Farrell for Finn (HT), B Daly for Lowry (44), D O’Reilly for Dillon (49), R Munnelly for Lillis (59), C Murphy for Kelly (59)


Yellow cards: None

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)