FERMANAGH & WESTERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
By Jonathan Hogan
NFC KESH enter the Christmas break in fine fettle, topping Division One in a landmark year for the club.
This season marks their 50th anniversary, celebrated with a civic reception from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council earlier this month, and there is a real eagerness at the club to make it one to remember.
Silverware has eluded them since their 2002 Mulhern and Junior Cup double, but with the league’s halfway point approaching, they are in their strongest position yet to deliver a first-ever Division One title.
Kesh may be leading the pack, but Ryan Campbell says there’s no time to rest on laurels.
“We’re happy with where we’re at,” Campbell told the ‘Herald.
“We sat down at the start of the season, and our aim was to be fighting at the right end and still in the Irish Junior coming into the New Year, so we’ve all to fight for.
“The lads have stepped up and to be sitting top is a bonus. There’s a lot of games to play and some hard ones yet, so we need to keep taking it one game at a time like we have been doing.”
“I’d have liked to have had another one or two games before Christmas, but unfortunately with the weather it hasn’t happened, but there’s a good incentive there,” he added.
“We’ve a good squad there now and it’s all going in the right direction, we just need to keep the foot on the gas.
“We’ll train well over Christmas and be prepared.
“The break won’t do any harm with a few niggles, and it’ll be full flow again come January.”
While Kesh lead the way, the table is tighter than 12 months ago. Last year, eight points separated the top five at Christmas but this year, seven points split the top seven, though games played are uneven.
Tummery, Strathroy, Enniskillen Rangers and Augher Stars have played 12 or 13 games. Town, Kesh and Ballinamallard United Reserves have 9–10.
For those in contention, every fixture now counts, leaving little room for complacency.
Enniskillen Town have transformed from hunted to hunters. Last year’s long-time leaders are now chasing and determined to finish stronger than they did the last campaign.
Player-manager Ryan Hanna reflects on a season of mixed results to-date.
“It’s different to last year and I think we knew it would be. Last year we were so consistent, so clinical, and we were getting a bit of luck early in the year,” Hanna said.
“We had good momentum and a run of games. This year, it’s been slightly different.
“We started well with results but didn’t perform that well, then we had a sticky patch in the middle where we drew two games and lost a game, but against tough opposition too.
“Then we had a good flurry of games in November and December – we played some really good stuff, scored a lot of goals and started to minimise the chances against us, which was our downfall early in the season.”
Hanna will hope come crunch time that the team will have learned from some missed opportunities:
“The key games were the draws and not converting our chances, particularly thinking back to that Magheraveely game, we had enough chances to win that game two times over,” he said.
“The Strathroy game, we were 2–0 up at home and had to be winning that one. The Tummery game again – we conceded against the run of play and didn’t convert our chances.
“The Ballinamallard game was highly frustrating. They had two shots on target, we had multiple chances.
“For 2026, our mentality is hunting. We’ll be chasing the pack and looking to finish stronger than we did last year.”
Ballinamallard United Reserves, rising rapidly through the ranks, also continue to make their mark and manager Ally Irwin is confident that can continue.
“I’m very proud of the group. We are nearly halfway through the league and there’s nobody that we can’t compete with in this division,” he said.
Their rapid ascent, from Division Two leaders at this stage last year to genuine contenders in Division One, has added another layer of intrigue to the title race.
Rangers, meanwhile, are focused on continuing their steady progress after the festive period, in Darren Higginbotham’s first season at the helm.
“We’ve been pleased with the recent performances and we’re at an important period to keep things ticking,” explained Higginbotham.
We’ve been speaking all year about building all the time, and this being our first winter together, it’s important we keep training hard over Christmas because that Junior game on the 3rd away to Crumlin won’t be long coming around.”
At the lower end of the table, last season’s champions Killen Rangers – who lifted their first Mercer League title from a position of fourth at Christmas – find themselves in a difficult position.
Five defeats from 10 games have left their defence in tatters, and they are now looking over their shoulders alongside Beragh Swifts, Lisbellaw United and Magheraveely, in what is shaping up to be a relegation battle that could go right to the wire.
Division Two has also delivered an intriguing first half. Omagh Hospitals remain unbeaten at the top, four points clear of Irvinestown Wanderers, who bounced back to winning ways before the Christmas break.
Castlederg United, Newtownstewart United and Ardstraw remain firmly in the promotion mix.
At the other end, Orchard Farm and Fivemiletown United Development – the latter having played just seven games – will hope to avoid a scrap with relegation, which also involves Fintona Swifts, Mountjoy United and Mountfield.
Down in Division Three, a three-way scrap appears set to define the title and promotion places.
Dunbreen Rovers, Drumquin United and Lisnaskea Rovers lead the way, though Omagh Town could enter the mix with three games in hand.
Maguiresbridge have stumbled late in the year, with defeats to Omagh and basement boys Lisnarick in December hampering their chances of climbing out of the division.
As the leagues pause for the Christmas break, the storylines are rich.
Kesh have their eyes firmly on history, Town are shifting into predator mode, Rangers are rebuilding steadily, and Ballinamallard continue their rapid rise.
Lower divisions remain equally gripping, with momentum swings still to come.
Tables are taking shape, but the festive break offers a moment to regroup. Come the New Year, the leagues promise a thrilling run-in — and the Junior Cup resumes with nine F&W clubs still in the hunt.
The Mulhern Cup, which produced last season’s epic Kesh–Town final, also looms large, aside two crucial league clashes between that pair to look out for.
