Fermanagh get back to winning ways
The eight-point winning margin flattered Fermanagh who were relieved to win their first Ulster championship game since 2010.
“The fact they hadn’t won for so long, there’s no doubt that played on people’s minds,” admitted Erne manager Pete McGrath.
“The game started at a leisurely pace, the first half was mistake-ridden by both teams really and to add to our woes, we lost Ruairi Corrigan and then Ryan McCluskey, two guys who had played exceptionally well all year, to injury in the first half.
“So other guys had to step up, and they did.”
Any hopes of a decent contest by the 7,700 fans in Enniskillen disappeared once Antrim were reduced to 14 men in the 31st minute, following Sean McVeigh’s straight red card dismissal for a high elbow challenge on Ciaran Flaherty.
Antrim manager Frankie Fitzsimmons had no definite opinion about whether McVeigh deserved to go or not, admitting: “I didn’t really see it, so we’ll have to look at it again”.
“It was always going to be hard against a team playing a division above us and going down to 14 men made it even tougher.
“Sean is one of our better players and we had to adjust. We put (Owen) Gallagher to midfield which only left two up front, giving Fermanagh an extra man to sweep.
“Even so, I thought our boys did well but we did seem to tire.” Last year, Fermanagh lost an entertaining first round tie to Antrim by a point, so they will take the positives out of playing poorly and winning this time around.
James McMahon played with intelligence in the extra man role while Ryan Jones and Barry Mulrone were both excellent, taking the responsibility in the absence of key men and driving the team on.
Still, Fermanagh were only two points ahead, 0-10 to 0-8, with 10minutes remaining.
CJ McGourty, who was unable to start because of injury, came on after 25 minutes and his accuracy from frees (six in all) became a telling factor as the game wore on.
He kept Antrim in touch before Sean Quigley converted an injury-time penalty, after a foul on Daniel Kille, to book Fermanagh’s place against Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final.
The first half was tepid stuff. Erne captain Ryan Jones kicked two points from play in the first half with five of Fermanagh’s six points coming from play.
Ryan McCluskey admitted afterwards it “wasn’t one for the purists” but Fermanagh were more clinical on the break and Tomas Corrigan and Ryan Jones put them ahead early on.
Kieran McGourty, tasting his first championship action since 2007, got Antrim back level in the 13th minute.
McVeigh, named at fullback but playing at midfield, had been playing well before his dismissal and Fermanagh capitalised immediately on having a man advantage.
The influential Barry Mulrone got on the end of a poor Antrim kickout to put the home side three points clear before McGourty’s free made it 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval.
Quigley and CJ McGourty swapped frees in an edgy start to the second half before Jones lit up a dull game with a superb score from distance, his third of the afternoon and the best of the game.
Another Quigley free put Fermanagh 0-9 to 0-5 ahead after 49 minutes, without having played well.
The pace of the game didn’t pick up but CJ McGourty hit three in a seven-minute spell to at least make things interesting. He brought Antrim to within two points, at 0-10 to 0-8, after 60 minutes but points from Paul McCusker, sub Daniel Kille and another Quigley free pushed Fermanagh five clear.
Kille should have scored a goal in injury-time or passed to the unmarked Marty O’Brien, but was fouled in the square by Niall Delargy.
Quigley, who didn’t have his best game, stepped up to bury the penalty with the last kick of the game.
S Quigley 1-4 (4f, 1pen), R Jones 0-3, B Mulrone 0-2, C Flaherty, T Corrigan, P McCusker, D Kille 0-1 each
CJ McGourty 0-6 (6f), K McGourty 0-1, R Murray 0-1
C Snow; M Jones, N Cassidy, M O’Brien; D McCusker, R McCluskey, J McMahon; R Jones, R O’Callaghan; B Mulrone, C Flaherty, P McCusker; T Corrigan, S Quigley, R Corrigan
D Kille for R Corrigan (22), A Breen for McCluskey (30)
C Kerr; R Johnson, S McVeigh, C Burke; J Crozier, T Scullion, N Delargy; C Murray, M Sweeney; J Laverty, O Gallagher, P McBride; K McGourty, M Pollock, R Murray
CJ McGourty for Pollock (25), D Lynch for Gallagher (HT), J Dowling for McBride (HT), C Duffin for R Johnson (53), N O’Neill for Sweeney (62), D McAleese for R Murray (62)
Maurice Deegan (Laois)
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