Bonner hoping season can start to turn for Fermanagh

By Mark McGoldrick

FERMANAGH manager Declan Bonner says that a good performance and a win in Brewster Park on Saturday evening over Laois could help to turn their season around quickly.

The Erne men are at home knowing that a win is key if they’re to have any chance of retaining their Division Three status, while they also have to hope that other results go their way.

With no points on the board from a possible 10, Fermanagh need to beat Laois and Limerick, while hoping Sligo lose both remaining games and Limerick don’t make it to four points.

It’s going to be a tall order for Fermanagh, but Bonner says there’s a good mood in the camp as they target a strong finish to the league.

“We have had a lot of discussions and meetings and I can’t fault the effort or the commitment that the guys have put in,” Bonner said.

“When you’re on a losing run, confidence can dip but I haven’t seen that in training.

“The lads are working hard and I hope the guys can go out and put in a performance to get the result. It’s something like that that could turn a season very quickly.”

Fermanagh’s opponents this weekend, Laois, have had a mixed league campaign, winning just two games from five.

The Erne manager recognises that the Leinster side will put up a tough challenge in Brewster Park.

“It’s a big game against Laois. They had a massive result against Westmeath the last time out and it just shows this is a topsy-turvy sort of a division with teams getting points of each other,” Bonner said.

“I’ve watched a lot of their videos and there’s no doubt about it that Laois are going to be difficult. It’s games like this that we have to go out and win and we have to start getting results.”

Fermanagh played Cavan in a challenge game in Roslea on Friday night, in preparation for this weekend’s clash.

Bonner wants his players to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves in front of the posts in Brewster Park.

“It’s about consistency and in moments in the modern game, momentum is huge. When we get those moments we probably don’t get enough scores on the board and we get punished then,” he said.

“We have played well in spells, but not for periods that you need to win matches.

“There’s no easy games, all the teams are well set up and well drilled and we’re going to come up against that on Saturday, but we’ve got to make the home advantage count.”