HE captained his club and now he will captain his county. Declan McCusker has been handed the captain’s armband for the season ahead by Kieran Donnelly and he will lead the team out on Saturday night, in Brewster Park, against Antrim in the first round of the Allianz National League.
The 31 year-old versatile defender led his club Ederney to glory in 2020 when they beat Derrygonnelly to lift the New York Cup for the first time in 52 years.
If McCusker can bring some of that leadership to the Fermanagh dressing room it will go a long way as they embark upon a difficult Division Three campaign, followed by the toughest of tests in the Ulster Championship when they welcome Tyrone to Brewster Park on April 16, for their preliminary round match.
The St Joseph’s man was delighted to be bestowed the privilege of captaining his county;
“It’s an absolute honour to be named captain of the Fermanagh senior football team. It’s something I dreamed of when I started playing underage football and it is therefore a very proud moment for me, my family and my club Ederney St Joseph’s.”
McCusker made his debut for Fermanagh back in 2011 and Donnelly is confident that his experience makes him the perfect choice.
“Decky brings a wealth of experience to the role as captain, he’s a hugely popular and experienced member of the panel and having been involved since 2011 he’s training really hard and playing really well and I know he’ll be a hugely popular choice with players and supporters alike” says Donnelly.
McCusker will follow on from his predecessor Eoin Donnelly who stepped away from the county panel in the past week after taking up the role of captain back in 2014.