THE common refrain of the modern-day full-back left trying to man the barricades on his own would be that he was hung out to dry.
It’s rare you see it in any of the game’s lifeforms now. Fermanagh, conscious of their sparse scoring options in the past, wouldn’t have been accused of it for most of the last decade.
Kieran Donnelly came into the job with the St Michael’s Enniskillen team that won the Hogan Cup just coming of age. In Ultan Kelm, he has a man that looked lost to the AFL. His injuries have worked a cruel favour into his manager’s hands.
Significant, too, is the return of the Cullens.
Lee is back from Australia, Ché from Budapest. Lee left at the end of the 2019 league, Ché when Covid disrupted his plans in 2020.
They make such a difference to how Fermanagh can play. Jonny Cassidy, one of Ulster’s best defenders in the last couple of seasons, has been freed into the half-back role from where he helped propel Enniskillen Gaels in last year’s club season.
The Cullens love defending. You could see that in their win over Cavan on Sunday. They relished the one-on-one contests. Their direct opponents were hounded to great effect.
Ché's performance kept James Smith quiet in the first half, and it was notable that when Smith went to midfield out of his way after half-time, he turned into Cavan’s best player in the second period.
“I do love defending,” says the Fermanagh full-back.
“In the past, the way we set up, you didn’t always have to defend one-on-one. The way we’re playing the last couple of years, there’s more emphasis on the one-to-one, which I think is great.
“If I keep my man scoreless but there’s ten men back in front of you, I don’t really get a sense of satisfaction because you’re not really one-on-one.
“The way we’re playing, you can take your man on one-on-one and get a bit more satisfaction out of it.”
The way they’re playing can also be fraught with danger. The two goals Cavan got were a combination of bad luck and poor defending. They almost had a third but Smith, under pressure from Lee Cullen, just overcarried before he plunged what might have been a decisive dagger into Fermanagh midway through the first half.
“There was no shouting or anything at half-time,” he said.
“We felt like we were up to the pitch of the game. We switched off with the two goals, which has been the story of our season. We’ve let goals in at crucial times.
“There was no panic, KD told us to just keep doing what we’re doing and feel our way back into the game in the second half.
“Ultan Kelm did incredibly well to get that goal, I think we needed it at that time to get back into the game. Ultan’s a game changer.
“We’re really glad he’s here and with Fermanagh because he’s so good. He’s one of those players that can turn a game on a sixpence.”
The sides will meet again in Croke Park on Saturday evening with the trophy at stake.
“With Fermanagh, we don’t always get in these situations where we have a bit of momentum, so it’s important we carry it on and drive it on.
“We have a league final on Saturday. A lot of players in the Fermanagh dressing room don’t have any silverware.
“Bar my wee break in Budapest, I’ve been playing for ten years and we haven’t had any silverware. I think that’s important too.
“KD [Kieran Donnelly] will put a big emphasis on trying to go and win in Croke Park, and then after that it will be all focus on Derry,” said the Belnaleck man, referencing their Ulster opener against the reigning champions on April 15.
