The Down man is confident that his side can make real headway in the competition
Fermanagh boss, Pete McGrath is looking forward to getting the competitive action underway for the 2015 season when Queens come to Brewster Park this Sunday in the opening fixture of the McKenna Cup.
The Down man is confident that his side can make real headway in the competition and get the year off to the perfect start.
“The McKenna Cup guarantees you three games and I think this is a group that we can realistically look to qualify from so we could get another few games if we play well.”
McGrath has been pleased with how preparations have gone to date and believes his side to be in a much better place than they were this time last season.
“I would be very pleased with pre season. The players have applied themselves very well and we have had more time than we had last year so we are looking forward to the McKenna Cup”
The two time All Ireland winning manager has been rocked however by more retirements and player unavailability but as he did last season he is taking such news in his stride and has taken steps to ensure that the squad will never have the ‘threadbare’ appearance that it did at times last season.
“We put a lot of time in over the summer going to club league games and championship matches and we had trial matches too. We knew there were going to be retirements and players who would be unavailable and we wanted to make sure we were working off a 35 man squad and with that in mind we have actually added 14 players to the squad,” McGrath explained before revealing his optimism for the season ahead given the players he has at his disposal.
“I think with the new players that we have, and how they have applied themselves to date, along with the quality that I know we have from the players that were involved last year I know that we have a very capable squad for the season.”
Queens will represent the first meaningful match of the season with sterner tests to come against Derry and Donegal and McGrath hopes that as individuals the players within the squad grasp the chance that these games present.
“Of course the McKenna Cup is the first opportunity of the season for players to play in a competitive games. Training is good and so are challenge games but competitive action is something else and we will get a chance to see the players, especially the newer players, in that environment.”
The truth of the McKenna Cup however is that is is quickly forgotten once the league is up and running and McGrath wants Fermanagh to be ready when that happens.
“It is vital that we start the National Football League with a win so we need to know what our best team is for that opening game and obviously the McKenna Cup is an important factor in reaching that conclusion,” he said before elaborating on what he described as a ‘very difficult league campaign’ that lies ahead of Fermanagh.
“I think everyone knows before a ball is kicked just how competitive division three is going to be. Armagh will obviously be the favourites in many people’s eyes but you also have the two teams coming up from division four who have real ambition and who had some good performances in the championship. And then there are teams like Sligo and Limerick who are always very difficult to beat so it is going to be a very competitive division.”