By Niall Gartland

ONLY an undefeated Derrygonnelly stand between Teemore and the top of the Division One table in Fermanagh with four rounds remaining, but their coach Ciaran Fitzpatrick is keen to point to the bigger picture.

Teemore are firmly in the hunt for a league final place following an impressive win over Erne Gaels last weekend, and that alone is indicative of the progress they’ve been making in recent years.

Fitzpatrick, who works alongside manager Mark Monaghan, says the team is prioritising the development of their youthful talent coming through above all else.

“It’s great we’re in the upper end of the league – albeit we’re all chasing Derrygonnelly – but one thing we’re really trying to prioritise this year is giving lads an opportunity to boost our squad.

“There are a lot of minors coming through this year, we’re giving them their chance. We’re bringing more lads into the equation for starting places. We’ve had injuries, we’ve had all the things every club has, so it’s been a real positive for us that other boys have come in and done well.”

Teemore are a club with a really proud tradition and top the overall leaderboard in Fermanagh with 21 Senior Championship titles to their name. They haven’t reigned supreme at senior level since 2005, but they did land the Intermediate title in 2023 and are more than holding their own in Division One for a second successive season.

“We spent longer in Division Two than we thought we would. We just didn’t have enough, but we eventually broke through that ceiling and finished third or fourth in Division One last year.

“We’re hopefully still on an upwards trajectory. Again, it’s down to the personnel we have, we have some really strong players coming into their peak years.”

Teemore can call upon the likes of Fermanagh players Ronan McCaffrey, who was excellent in their recent win over defending senior champions Erne Gaels, and Sean McNally, the county’s foremost goalkeeper.

“That’s what it’s about, if your players are of a decent quality, your players will start to compete at the highest levels of Fermanagh football,” commented Fitzpatrick.

“From the Fermanagh set-up we obviously have Sean and Ronan, and we have a few who were involved in the U20s – Conan Donohoe, Brandon Beattie, while Oisin Murphy was a county panelist last year.

“He did his cruciate but all being well, he’s on the brink of coming back. We’ve a few county minors, so we do have some county exposure in the club.”