Tomas Corrigan will hope to continue his good form on Sunday
Many might see Sunday’s game with Offaly as something of a dead rubber.
After all Fermanagh have secured their division three status and Offaly are down. So the general consensus might be that there nothing to play for. But that would be to underestimate how important Pete McGrath sees ironing out the problems he sees in his team.
McGrath wants improvement
On one hand Pete McGrath was very pleased following the win over Wexford. Some excellent football was produced and going forward his side looked very good. But on the other hand McGrath was seething with the way his side played in the second half and especially the leaking of three goals. He was genuinely angered and frustrated by what he sees as an all too familiar trait of teams scoring goals against Fermanagh by coming straight down the middle. McGrath is also clearly frustrated that he and his management team have not yet been able to solve this problem.
You can rest assured that McGrath will be expecting a win and more than that he will be expecting defensive solidity for the full seventy minutes.
Fortress Brewster
Discounting the McKenna Cup Fermanagh will play their fourth game in Brewster Park of the season on Sunday. If they win it will be their third win with the only defeat coming against Roscommon and in that game there was plenty of positives to be taken. And with Antrim calling to Brewster in the championship in June the Fermanagh players will want to feel that they have made their home patch something of a fortress.
Antrim at home in the championship is a game that Fermanagh should be winning and the more of a winning habit they build up, especially at home, will leave the team in a good frame of mind for the Saffron’s visit.
Competitive action
It will be a long eight weeks following the final whistle in the Offaly game and the championship match with Antrim. Yes, there will be friendly matches in between but they are really not the same as a competitive game. So, it is imperative that Fermanagh approach this game with the aim of getting the maximum out of it in terms of their preparation for the championship.
Longford travel to Wexford in the final fixture of the league in what is quite simply a must win game for Wexford. A draw will be good enough to see Longford up on superior score difference. If Wexford can get the home win they they will consign Longford to back to back relegations and life in division four along with already relegated Offaly next season.