BELCOO

They were the sensation of 2007 not just by winning their first ever SFL division one crown, but by achieving the feat in their debut season back in the top grade after an absence of several years.

Belcoo will be understandably boosted by that and will now be setting their sights on a bigger prize. Last year's triumph will have instilled a strong seam of confidence and it can be assumed that they will be a force. Second season syndrome could be a factor however and they might do well to maintain the levels they reached last year.

BROOKEBORO

Very difficult to see Brookeboro break the unhappy record that has been their lot over recent years. They have proved to be comfortable in division two but have been unable to successfully make the step up. The gap has been impossible to bridge.

So it has been a yo-yo existence and more of the same awaits them it would seem. Not enough talented youth coming through, their dependence on a clutch of players one of their key handicaps. Will be exceptionally determined to break the mould but an all too familiar season of struggling to avoid an immediate return from whence they came lies ahead

If they do manage to finish above the bottom duo, it will have been a terrific effort on their part.

DERRYGONNELLY

The Harps last captured the league crown back in 2002 but in the intervening period it has been relatively low key from them. Just a shade better than mediocrity from them, mid table anonymity the end result.

Promise a bit more than they deliver principally because there is a reliance on a couple of older hands to drive the team forward and time and tide wait for no man.

Should be well capable of fending off any concerns about relegation but there is a lack of genuine consistency and they would have to be considered as an outside bet to pick up the league prize.

DEVENISH

The Garrison team have not been featuring for quite sometime now, indeed on a couple of occasions they flirted with relegation.

But there have been signs that a corner has been turned. In the winter they received the fillip of a victory in the under 21 championship and quite a number of that fine side will be present for the senior campaign.

So they could well emerge out of the shadows and become one of the main challengers. A good blend of experience and youth available and a club with a solid tradition to further bolster them. There should be a sound sense of belief swirling around their camp as they look ahead to what could be an eventful year.

ENNISKILLEN

For season after season the Gaels more or less ignored the league. No excuse that for the panel of the quality they possessed that they came within a whisker of relegation on a number of occasions. Highly unlikely that this scenario will be repeated over this coming summer. Newly installed manager Dominic Corrigan will be resolutely determined that he is not going to preside over a lame duck league performance. The championship is the priority of course but there will be no doubting that the league will get the attention it deserves.

All of which is not particularly good news for the other contenders. But a purposeful Gaels with the correct attitude will be one of the top teams from the outset.

LISNASKEA

Over a decade now since the Emmets won the title and there is no real suggestion that their current squad have the ability to end that barren run.

Solid enough citizens of the top flight, it would be most surprising if they were to find themselves embroiled in a relegation scramble. But they don't have the strength in depth to forge themselves into real contenders.

Mid table finish for them, which quite often means that just a few points more collected and a team placed there was in the decider. But scooping up those crucial extra points has been beyond them in recent years.

NEWTOWNBUTLER

In recent seasons they were the league specialists, a hat trick of wins in the past four years. The championship of course was the main prize and this they duly claimed last autumn.

Appetite to some extent sated then for the First Fermanagh's as they embark on another campaign and that could be a difficulty for them. They have a very experienced squad and will obviously be a significant force, it would be astonishing if they were to suffer a serious decline.

But this coming summer may not be as productive for them and they may well find themselves coming up shorter than normal.

ST PATRICKS

The Donagh club have been long time residents in the top grade but have never managed to establish themselves as one of the leading sides. Their league efforts have generally seen them having to work hard to avoid getting tangled in the relegation mire.

Last season's league campaign was of an all too similar nature and more of the same awaits them this time around. A couple of their players who are on the senior county panel will be looked to, to provide the inspiration. But in the main, St Patrick's don't look to have the necessary strength in depth to launch a sustained league challenge.

TEEMORE

Beaten in the decider last autumn they have been traditionally a sturdy presence and presumably will again pick up enough victories to ensure that this pattern will continue.

A major concern would be the question mark hovering over the availability of Barry Owens and should he be absent for an appreciable length of time over the summer, it will be an absence that will be keenly felt.

Still more than enough players of sterling quality lacing the side and they can not be easily dismissed from the reckoning but they couldn't be regarded as a firm fancy to reach the top two slot by the end of the programme.

TEMPO

A critical season looming up for the Maguires. Like their neighbours Brookeboro they have signally failed to make the transition from second to first division. Absolute priority for them is simply to call a halt to that depressing sequence. With a highly successful minor panel over the past few years and a number of those players now filtering through to the senior lineup, Tempo must believe that they possess the required credentials.

But they have come into the first division before with similar robust belief and have failed to deliver the much desired outcome. Without doubt there is a stronger side to call on this time around, but if another disaster befalls, it will be a punishing blow to the club.