By Michael McMullan

FERMANAGH manager Kieran Donnelly was pleased with how his side managed the game in Saturday’s win over Sligo in the Tailteann Cup

It booked a place in Monday’s semi-final draw where they were paired with a Kildare team Donnelly felt were favourites for the title before the competition started.

The Erne County entered the Tailteann race after Down’s smash and grab knocked them of Ulster.

While it was gut wrenching at the time, there was enough in the performance to suggest they could push on in the Tailteann Cup.

Fermanagh were beaten by Carlow in their first group game, a defeat Donnelly now feels was a defining moment in their season.

A winning run took them to Saturday’s clash with Sligo where they found themselves four points down after Niall Murphy’s goal. It forced Fermanagh to dig deep once again.

“That was the most pleasing thing about that game,” Donnelly told Gaelic Life.

“Sligo are a team I rated very highly. I know Tony McEntee very well and Tony’s done a great job with Sligo in his tenure. They’ve competed really well in all the Connacht Championships to date, running Mayo quite close as well.

“They were a team that I had the utmost respect for. Mentality-wise, from our team, because we’re a young team, it’s how you respond in those scenarios.

“When we went four down, we went on a run and got eight of the next nine scores. We got the next kick-out after the goal, which is always a big one.”

Fermanagh were 0-14 to 1-6 ahead by half-time. When Sligo pegged the margin back to a point, there was another response with four points on the bounce to push them back into a winning position.

“That was a big thing,” Donnelly added. “We responded well after that. The opposition is always going to have a period of dominance in the game, especially with the kick-out format the way it is.

“Our game management was really the most pleasing aspect of our performance on the weekend.”

Check out www.GaelicLife.com later in the week for more Tailteann Cup coverage as Fermanagh look ahead to Croke Park