Winning home games crucial - Canavan
Published 9 Feb 2012 13:00
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Fermanagh players, management and supporters were left feeling disappointed and frustrated last weekend, after their opening league game away to London, was called off due to heavy snowfall on the Ruislip turf.
The decision to call the game off was made at 10am on Sunday morning, much too late, according to Fermanagh manager Peter Canavan:
"It was very disappointing. The forecast on Saturday was heavy snow and low temperatures in London so the pitch was never going to thaw in time. We were going over knowing there was a good chance the game would be called off, yet the decision was not made until 10am on Sunday morning. It could have been made earlier and it would have saved a lot of hassle from both the team's point of view and the supporters. There were people not getting home until very late Sunday night. I think it could have been handled much better," says Peter.
Failing to get their league campaign kick-started was not ideal either preparation for this weekend either, says the Tyrone man:
"We were very much looking forward to it and we felt well prepared. It now leaves us in a difficult position. We're going into our home game this weekend without a game under our belt. Clare on the other hand has the advantage of having got off to a good start."
At the weekend the Banner men recorded a 1-17 to 0-12 victory over Waterford. Whilst Waterford finished the game with 12 men and the home side finished with 14, Clare will be oozing confidence as they journey to Brewster Park this Sunday.
Peter is well aware of the challenge in store for his team:
"The feedback we've been getting about them is that they're very well prepared. They've appointed a new fitness coach from Tralee IT and have been training very hard apparently. Last week's match showed that and they finished very strong. It's going to be very tough."
Peter believes winning their home games is essential if they're going to gain promotion:
"You need to be winning all your home games. We'd like to think we're capable of winning on Sunday. We've won both games we played in Brewster Park this year in the McKenna Cup."
However, he also feels there is a lot of work still to be done, especially with regards to getting their fitness levels to where it needs to be:
"Granted we've shown some good spells but in terms of our strength and conditioning we've still some way to go. But credit must go to the boys they're working very hard and doing everything we've asked of them. There's no doubt our fitness has been a concern, I think that really came to the fore in the semi-final against Tyrone. But that was the third game we had played in seven days and we've talked to the boys about not being able to sustain the level of fitness required for three successive games. It's important you get the balance right, you don't want players heavy legged but you need to maintain sharpness."
Fermanagh was bolstered by the return of Shane McCabe last week. The Belcoo man was named amongst the substitutes last weekend and his comeback has been welcomed by Peter:
"He's a quality footballer and we're delighted to have someone of his class and experience. The fact he has fully committed himself will make a big difference and I'm delighted. He's a great option to have. Whilst he hasn't played much Gaelic in the last few years he has looked sharp in training and it's good to see him wearing the county colours again."
On Sunday, Fermanagh will finally get their league campaign underway and Peter is hoping that the extra week will allow a few niggling injuries to have cleared up:
"Last weekend between injury and flu we were not at full strength. Hopefully this weekend we'll have a stronger panel to pick from and it'll make for a competitive game," he concludes.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 09 Feb 12
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