By Mark McGoldrick

FERMANAGH manager Declan Bonner said his side are now in a “dogfight” to retain their Division Three league status ahead of Sunday’s round four encounter against Westmeath.

With three games played, the Erne men sit bottom of the table, failing to pick up a point from the possible six that were up for grabs so far.

Despite putting in a much-improved performance in Enniskillen against Clare on Sunday, Fermanagh’s lack of cutting edge in the final third came back to haunt them, as they coughed up numerous chances.

Bonner was hugely frustrated, saying that the Erne men have put in a lot of work on the attacking side of their game in recent weeks.

“Any day you lose at home is disappointing. We take a lot of positives out of the game, we started the second half really, really well but we didn’t get enough scores on the board at that stage,” Bonner said.

“We had opportunities for two-pointers from the dead-ball situations, but we’ve got to be nailing them. That’s a massive swing in any game.

“We have put in a lot of work over the past few weeks to get ready for this game and we didn’t see it through. We played well for spells, but we were not consistent enough.”

Fermanagh looked vulnerable at the back at times, with Clare hitting them for two goals, one in each half.

Bonner recognises that it was Fermanagh’s failure to convert at the attacking end of the field that led to his team being exposed in their defence.

“We coughed up a bad goal and that was the turning point. I can’t fault the lads for the effort and commitment they put in, but in the modern game, momentum is huge,” the Erne boss reflected.

“When you’re not completing your attacks, the first goal they got was from a turnover and we had possession of the ball and no matter who you’re playing against, when they go, it’s going to be difficult.

“We coughed up a number of turnovers which we were punished for.”

Fermanagh rallied right to the end in Brewster Park and they almost scored a late goal when a rasping shot from Conor Love was denied by the Clare goalkeeper.

The Erne men haven’t scored a goal in the league so far and Bonner’s demanding that his players improve in front of goal.

“Those are the opportunities we’ve got to take. We haven’t been clinical enough and when the opportunities come, you’ve got to take them,” he said.

Fermanagh now face a difficult trip to Mullingar on Sunday where they’ll take on Westmeath, who have won two of their opening three games so far.

With the fears of relegation to Division Four looming, Bonner is urging his team to relish the challenges that they face.

“It’s a battle, it’s a dogfight. We spoke about it and there’s no point feeling sorry for ourselves,” added the Fermanagh manager.

“Hopefully we can get a performance and a result up there and we know that’s going to be a difficult challenge. It’s a massive task and something we’ve got to go after. We have to get back up and get at it.”

ROCKY WATERS… Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner