'It's something you always aspired to do' - Kieran Donnelly relishing Fermanagh responsibility

Having assisted Peter Canavan in various managerial posts for nearly a decade before guiding Scotstown to an Ulster Club Final, the time looked right for Kieran Donnelly to be given his chance as Fermanagh manager after Ryan McMenamin's departure last August.

With a number of experienced men having stepped away from the inter-county scene, something of a rebuild was required in the Erne County but with young talent clearly there - as evidenced by St Michael's Enniskillen's 2019 MacRory Cup triumph - Fermanagh GAA bosses judged that Donnelly was the man for the task.

He had to see off former Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran to land the Erne job but Donnelly's experience of helping nurture the talent of Tyrone stars Peter Harte, Conor Meyler, Niall Sludden and Ben McDonnell was also another impressive element of his footballing CV.

"It was something that you always aspired to do," says the Brookeborough man, whose playing career for Fermanagh in the mid-1990s and early noughties included several Division One campaigns, while he also managed the county's minor side before assisting Canavan during the Tyrone great's two years in charge of the Erne County in 2012 and 2013.

"I knew it was a massive job. We are rebuilding and it was going to take time to bring those younger players through but I'm used to doing that at schools level with CBS in Omagh.

"And being familiar with a lot of the senior players from when Peter was in charge and even having some of them at county minors, I just felt the timing was right.

"It's always a privilege to manage your own county. Challenging yes but a privilege."

With Donnelly running his eye over a host of inexperienced players and the Derrygonnelly contingent unavailable because of their Ulster Club Final commitments, the Dr McKenna Cup losses against Monaghan and Derry were no great surprise and while the opening Division Three home defeat by Antrim was a disappointment, the Ernemen have since regrouped by taking three points from away games in Aughrim and Longford.

Such is the tight nature of Division Three, a home victory over Laois in Saturday's rearranged contest would move Fermanagh into potential promotion contention and the prospect of avoiding Tailteann Cup football this summer but conversely defeat would leave them perilously close to the drop zone ahead of next week's home contest with Louth plus the closing away games in Westmeath and Limerick.

"The squad really is a mix of youth and experience and it has taken us a period of time just to try and knit that together and have a wee bit more cohesion in our play," adds the former Fermanagh player.

"It has come together at certain stages during games. We felt in the Longford game, we looked more like a team and more cohesive in our play and in our transition as well."

But it's the progress and more importantly says Donnelly, "attitude" of the half dozen or more members of the 2019 St Michael's MacRory Cup-winning team in his squad that gives the new manager confidence that better days are in store for Fermanagh football.

"Against Derry in the McKenna Cup, there were six of St Michael's Enniskillen's Hogan Cup winning team from 2019 that started.

"We would have half a team that are basically 21 or 22 years of age. All those players came through and they have proved to be exceptional young players.

"They are proving they are county players by the way they are preparing. They have deservedly got their chance. It will take time for us to gel as a team but I feel we are moving in the right direction."

The St Michael's contingent from 2019 includes goalkeeper Sean McNally and midfielder Joe McDade, both nursing injuries at the moment and likely to be again be missing for Saturday's game, plus Garret Cavanagh, Luke Flanagan, Brandon Horan and Josh Largo Ellis.

And as he manages these exciting young talents, Donnelly makes no attempt to downplay how much the time spent alongside Canavan is influencing how he undertakes the task.

"Peter Canavan was one of the greatest players ever to grace a football field. To be under him - me and Peter worked together for eight or nine years at Errigal Ciaran and Cavan Gaels and Fermanagh and Scotstown as well - was a privilege.

"He's an inspirational leader, an excellent manager and I would have learnt an awful lot from him.

"He took us in Fermanagh at a stage when we were in Division Four when there was a split in the camp and we got promotion to Division Three and we were a kick of the ball from getting promotion to Division Two.

"You see the way he analyses the games on Sky. He brings that extra level of detail and just knows his football inside out."

The "professionalism" that Canavan brought to the Fermanagh job and indeed his club roles are also clearly a major influence on Donnelly's approach as he leads a management team which includes assistant, his fellow teacher at Omagh CBS Fergal Quinn, coach Ryan McCluskey, strength and conditioning man Leon Carters plus stats and logistics trio Niall Smyth, Stephen Jackson and Ger Treacy.

"At county level, it's got to that standard where boys are expected to be in the gym twice a week and on the pitch, three to four times a week," continues Donnelly.

"There's no doubt it's a massive commitment and your work life balance has to work around it but it's still a great environment to be in.

"Kieran McGeeney would always say that he never sees that as a chore. A lot of our boys are young players, in the prime of life, and they are getting the best nutritional advice, the best strength and conditioning coaches involved so I think it's a wonderful opportunity for any player to try and better themselves."

As for the look of the current table which has the Ernemen in sixth spot but knowing they could be level on points with second-placed Antrim by Saturday evening, Donnelly speaks of a "really congested division".

"You see some of the results with Louth beating Westmeath so a win or two will see you going close to the top or it can go the other way.

"In the Antrim game, we missed two or three goal chances at the start whereas we took the chances when they came our way in Longford.

"We probably should have won in Wicklow [after leading at half-time] but we took the draw as a positive result because they had a massive gale in their favour in the second half and we we showed great resolve and resilience to hold on."

Before winding up, Donnelly laughs as you gently slip in a mention of a certain Ulster Championship opener against All-Ireland champions Tyrone at Brewster Park on 16 April.

"It's hard to believe that it's only six or seven weeks away but our full focus is on the league.

"You can't get a tougher opener than that but you have to look at it positively.

"To have the All-Ireland Champions at Brewster Park, that's what you always want - a chance to play the best which Tyrone proved to be last year.

"We're aware of a lot of their players through school. It's one we have in the back of our minds but it's a good bit away yet."

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