Flight frustration for Fermanagh

Fermanagh’s footballers were last night trying to travel home after adverse weather caused travel chaos in London.

The Ernesiders’ Allianz League Division 4 opener at Ruislip was postponed yesterday morning after heavy snow in the English capital on Saturday night.

The players were due to fly back to Dublin from Heathrow, and arrived at the airport in time to watch Ireland’s Six Nations clash with Wales, but they faced an anxious wait after a third of all flights there were grounded.

Coaching officer Deirdre Donnelly was due to travel back to Belfast but her flight was cancelled.

“Normally when you travel to London, you expect it to be warmer than at home, not colder,” she said. “I came in on Friday night and the lads arrived the following morning. We knew about the weather forecast, but hoped the snow would hold off until we’d gone home.”

On Saturday afternoon the Fermanagh players had a short training session at London club Tir Chonaill Gaels, who are located in Greenford, just three miles from Ruislip’s Emerald Grounds.

“They went down for a bit of kickabout, and the ground was a bit hard then,” said Donnelly.

“It would still have been okay to play a match on, but then later that evening the snow started to come down heavily. We were told on Sunday morning that Ruislip was completely covered, and that quite a few flights to Ireland were being cancelled.”