FERMANAGH may have home advantage for Saturday’s crunch Tailteann Cup quarter-final clash with Antrim but cagey Erne boss Kieran Donnelly is wary of an improving, if somewhat mercurial, Saffron side that he feels will not be daunted by the trip to Brewster Park.
Fermanagh beat Antrim by a point in the Dr McKenna Cup but Donnelly feels that Andy McEntee’s men are a much-changed and improved outfit in the interim.
The prize for the winner is huge and McEntee has made no secret of the fact that he badly wants a Croke Park appearance for his charges, who saw off a stubborn London challenge last weekend after drawing with Sligo in a high-quality affair the previous week.
It is an equal bauble for Fermanagh, who topped their group wins over Wicklow, Carlow and Laois.
But Donnelly is wary of Antrim’s physical power and their towering target man Ruairi McCann (Aghagallon), who hit two goals against London.
“We only beat Antrim by a point in the Dr McKenna Cup but they are a team on the rise and have been improving this past two or three years,” he said.
“And they are in a good enough place at present and we are expecting a tough battle.
“They have plenty of mobility from deep and have size and power.
“Ruairi McCann from Aghagallon is a huge presence at full-forward and they have been targeting him inside and he scores goals regularly.
“He is a key focal point. The other Ruairi McCann from Creggan is a quality wing-forward.
“But they also have a lot of quality and experience in Dermot McAleese in defence and Ryan McQuillan, Paddy McBride and Marc Jordan are all outstanding players.
“McAleese sets up a lot of their attacks and McQuillan was outstanding against Sligo. He is one to watch as well.
“Antrim hit 0-20 against Sligo and could have won it.”
Donnelly is glad his side will be playing at Brewster Park after two tough tests against Carlow and Wicklow.
“It is a bit of an advantage to get a home draw and that is what we are aiming towards and hopefully those tough games will stand to us on Saturday, which is definitely going to be a step up for us,” he said.
Fermanagh had a big win over Laois in their final game, which should instil some extra belief in the Ernemen.
“Being at home is an advantage also from a logistics point of view as there is no travelling and it is a big plus and we hope to take advantage of it,” Donnelly said.
Another plus is the scoring power up front and the carrot of playing in Croke Park for the Ernesiders.
“Ultan Kelm is coming into great form and got a few key scores for us against Laois,” Donnelly said.
“We are happy with how we are playing and our bench has been a big plus for us, with players making a real difference.
“Darragh McGurn gives us considerable options off the bench and he is a big plus. He adds size to a forward line that is not blessed with size. Ronan McCaffrey came off the bench as well.
“Conor Love has also come off the bench and scored quite a bit and is a threat to any defence.
“There is great competition for places and it is an evolving team but it will mean nothing if we don’t deliver on Saturday.”
