Baldwin hits out at “shambolic” venue switch

By Mark McGoldrick

BEFORE the sliotar has been thrown in between Fermanagh and Lancashire, the game has already been shrouded in controversy.

This was always a home game for Fermanagh, scheduled to be played in Brewster Park on Sunday.

Now, just days before the game, it has been switched to Darvar, at the Louth GAA Centre of Excellence, with Fermanagh forfeiting their home advantage as the GAA want to accommodate Lancashire who claim there is an issue with travelling regulations and flight times.

Fermanagh boss Joe Baldwin is far from happy with the enforced switch of venue.

“We have wasted a lot of energy on this over the past few days. It really is quite shambolic.

“Somebody has been sort of telling lies regarding flights and different things. It has been really, really shambolic.

“The bottom line is that we don’t have a home game and it is very disappointing.

“It wouldn’t happen in any other division, so why should it be acceptable for Fermanagh hurling to take whatever scraps are thrown off the table to them?”

Fermanagh has had only one home game in the league so far, a tie with Cavan in Ederney in early February.

Baldwin feels that there is a total disregard from the GAA for the so called ‘smaller’ counties, like Fermanagh.

“Lancashire have messed us about really badly and I am really disappointed in them, and the GAA. At the end of the day, the game is going ahead in Darvar and that is the most important thing.

“On Saturday, there is senior football in Fermanagh and there is an u-20 football game on which takes players away. We have had several players who may be away with work commitments because we have been given these dates weeks ago.

“We feel very disappointed in this because we are trying to promote the game in Fermanagh.

“We have only two league games this year at home, and for one of them to be taken away from us to accommodate Lancashire, it is expensive too.”

Putting the fixture drama to one side, Fermanagh will be even more determined to make it three wins from three come Sunday.

Baldwin went to Abbottstown on Sunday and watched Lancashire beat Longford by a point in a four-goal thriller, so he knows what his side will be up against.

“Their middle third is very big, especially Eoin Kelly. They are very big, strong guys but I feel that we can get at them in certain areas of the pitch.

“We are currently two from two but I want to try and get this done and dusted this week because we don’t really want to be going down to Leitrim in two weeks’ time and trying to get a win to qualify. While two-nil is very dangerous, three-nil would be a lot better.”

Fermanagh has been handed a massive player availability boost, with Barney McAuley and Dylan Bannon both back in training after recovering from injury.