Lee Cullen celebrates scoring a goal for Fermanagh
While Fermanagh have had an up and down start to the National Football League for one of their players it has been a very positive campaign.
Belnaleck’s Lee Cullen has played in every game to date and the under 21 star has proved that he has what it takes to mix it at this level.
“I was in the squad last year but never really got a look in and I realised that I had a lot of work to do and I have been trying to do that work. The step up is obviously enormous but I am enjoying it. It is a steep learning curve but you just have to stick with it and keep trying to do the right thing,” he told the Fermanagh Herald.
Cullen was a star defender in the most recent MacRory Cup success for St Michael’s but with Fermanagh he has been deployed as a wing forward and admits that it ‘is a totally new experience’.
But Cullen has been a fast learner and he got it just right against Roscommon when he got on the end of a flowing move to score Fermanagh’s second goal but the Belnaleck man was obviously not happy with the full time result.
“It was very disappointing to be honest. I thought the game was there to be won at different times but we did not show enough consistency. We played very well for ten minute spells but we probably didn’t make enough of those spells and then when Roscommon were on top they were more clinical,” Cullen explained before adding that he believes the this Fermanagh team need to both demonstrate and be shown some patience.
“I think we have a new manager and a lot of new players and that it takes time to get things right. It is going to take patience from everyone and if we can show that then hopefully we can start being more consistent in our play.”
Pete McGrath, the Fermanagh manager, has been fulsome in his praise of both Lee and his twin brother Che, who has missed the last two games with a broken bone in his hand. Although Lee admits that he did not know much about the exploits of Pete McGrath before he took over.
“To be honest I had heard the name but I didn’t really even know what he looked like. But he has been brilliant since coming in. He has shown a lot of confidence in both Che and myself and that is always good. What he is getting us to do as a team is working but we are just not doing it for long enough periods and we have to work on that.”
Lee and his Fermanagh team-mates travel south to Limerick this weekend knowing that a win is vital as they bid to secure their status in division three.