The Gods finally smiled on the Fermanagh footballers last Sunday. Rain and fog have conspired against them on previous occasions but on Sunday the weather, while hardly pleasant, allowed them to undo the shackles and play.
After two false starts they got their National Football League campaign underway with an impressive away win against Longford. Some might disagree with the use of that particular adjective but then those that do probably never had the pleasure of a cold damp Pearse Park welcome.
Longford is a tough place to get a win and two points secured for the journey home is all that Malachy and the boys would have wanted when they left Fermanagh early on Sunday morning.
Notions from fanciful supporters that division three would be a walk in the park for Fermanagh can be thankfully discarded after a tough opening. In fact, it's a good job that the management and players obviously did not share the, 'sure all we have to do is turn up' attitude that prevails in some quarters.
But having said all that, and at the risk of coating myself in the complacency I so deride in others, this weekend should be a relatively straight forward affair and perhaps the easiest game of the campaign. Leitrim have suffered two thumpings so far at the hands of Longford and Louth and are at the moment in the throws of a major injury crisis.
Yes, the will want to put those two defeats behind them and secure a victory but at the moment it seems that they just do not possess the tools to carry out the turn around. So anything other than a comfortable Fermanagh win will be greeted with surprise by this columnist.
It's funny, if I were involved in the squad this year I would be screaming at the rooftops at misinformed hacks tapping a few keys and chalking down a win before the ball is even thrown in. So perhaps I should add a little addendum to my prediction. If Fermanagh work as hard as they did in Longford then an easy win should materialise. What's that about a kiss of death?
After Sunday though, the games looming on the horizon do not seem so straight forward.
Down, Wexford, Limerick, Louth and Sligo are all teams who on their day can cause serious trouble to some of the bigger teams.
The introduction of the backdoor seven years ago has seen a lot of teams grow in confidence over the years. Sligo, Fermanagh and Louth are just three counties who have benefited from the more scenic route. Winning games, especially Championship games, give players great confidence and at present there is a glut of teams who could be described as middle tier but who aspire to much greater heights than their current positions afford them.
Fermanagh are a great example. Having slipped down to division three some may have thought that the players would take this as a negative; as a sign that the relative success of the last five years has now dissipated. But no, quite the contrary seems to be the case. Division three is seen as a blip; as a temporary home and one which if total effort and commitment is given will not remain their abode for very long. There is still a quiet confidence surrounding Fermanagh and I feel a real belief that tangible silverware can be gained.
But there is a fly in the ointment. And that is the fact that the other teams which I mentioned above all think the same way. Wexford were Leinster finalists and NFL league finalists not so long ago. Louth put Tyrone to the pin of their collar in the back door and enjoyed a profitable run in other years. Limerick reached a Munster final and should have beaten a Kerry team who went on to coast to an All Ireland while Sligo won Connaught last year and are the original specialists of the backdoor.
All those teams considers themselves contenders; destined for greater things and much more worthy of the company which division two would provide them.
But anybody can be a contender. The difficulty is emerging from the pack. And whomever qualifies from this division will have done so beating some good teams along the way. A win on Sunday will put Fermanagh in prime position. It would leave them with four points from two games and with three of the five remaining games at home. Fermanagh will fancy their chances of picking up a further six to eight points which will put them in a strong position for promotion.
It will also leave them well placed for a tilt at the Ulster Championship. With Armagh and Tyrone seemingly on the wane this year's Anglo Celt is the most open for years, and while Fermanagh may not be a name that tumbles from the mouths of most pundits when picking a winner there is no reason why they cannot beat any team in Ulster on their day.
But first things first. Sunday's game needs to be negotiated. I have already jumped down from the fence and have predicted a comfortable Fermanagh win. An unusually bold prediction for this columnist. Maybe there will be egg on my face come five o'clock on Sunday but I hope not. In any case I will not be as embarrassed as Richard Chaplow was when he was asked who would he be supporting in Euro 2008. The Preston North End midfielder was partaking in the question and answer section for his clubs match day programme.
Questioner; Who will you be supporting in Euro 2008?
Chaplow: England
Questioner: England have not qualified so who will you be supporting instead?
Chaplow: Argentina
The mind boggles!
