BY DAMIAN CAMPBELL
Fermanagh team manager Malachy O'Rourke was a satisfied man on Sunday evening following Fermanagh's fine away victory over Longford at the Midland venue.
Prior to the game there had been realistic acceptance that this opening tie for Fermanagh was one which was fraught with difficulty.
"Longford had the benefit of having played two competitive games while we had missed the boat in that regard due to the double postponement," noted O'Rourke. "So there was reason for concern but the team were well focussed and had trained well. And of course we got a great start."
Fermanagh however didn't succeed in maintaining the pace and power of their impressive opening spell.
"Yes there were times when we did lose our way a bit," O'Rourke acknowledged, "but we showed good character, the work ethic was very good and to come away with a victory from this venue was a very good result for us indeed."
Longford apparently have enjoyed a formidable run in their games at Pearse Park in recent seasons, the venue something of a fortress for them, so Fermanagh's win is all the more impressive in those circumstances. The Erne team are back in action this Sunday for the rescheduled meeting with Leitrim at Carrick-on-Shannon. The Connacht team have performed poorly so far and are pointless after two matches with a hefty scoring difference adding to their woes.
On paper it would seem that Fermanagh will be looked on as favourites but this has its own drawbacks.
O'Rourke is particularly wary of Sunday's tie.
"This could be a dangerous game for us in many ways," he commented. "Leitrim after those opening two defeats will feel the need that they must win this match otherwise they will have slipped into deep trouble. And in any case, Carrick-on-Shannon is always a difficult venue.
No illusions as far as we would be concerned and it will be a case of having our feet firmly on the ground. We will be preparing for this game as well as we can. There is a long, long road still to travel."
On the injury front, O'Rourke revealed that there was a continuing doubt about the availability of both Shane McDermott and James Sherry. The St Patrick's defender has suffered rib damage and may well be out of action for a few weeks more.
As for Roslea midfielder Sherry he has a troublesome knee injury though there is greater hope for a quicker return for him. His brother Peter, is also presently unavailable.
Meanwhile in the division overall the pace is being set by Wexford with a full haul of points from their three games.
They had a massive home victory over previously unbeaten Down on Sunday and have clear at the top of the table.
Important wins last Sunday also for Sligo and Louth, their first victory in three outings, which keeps that duo still in the chase for a top two finish.
As O'Rourke commented there is still a lot of football to be played in a division which has a very sharp, competitive edge to it.
Fermanagh however have had a dream start with that triumph over Longford and if they can pull off another success on away turf they will have placed themselves right in the heart of the promotion battle.
The next full round of fixtures will be on the weekend of March 15th and 16th. March 15; Down v Longford. March 16; Fermanagh v Louth at Lisnaskea; Leitrim v Sligo; Limerick v Wexford.
Fermanagh's second rescheduled game, the home tie with Limerick will be played on Saturday March 22nd also in Lisnaskea.
