After a rushed start to his reign as manager following his late appointment, Pete McGrath has a better handle on matters this year. He has had time to assess the players, watch a lot of club football and get his squad down to work early as they prepare for a difficult Division Three campaign.
A number of the more experienced players did call time on their county careers at the end of last season but others have come in to stake their case for a place and Cassidy feels that everybody is pushing for a starting spot, with very few players guaranteed their place at this stage for the opening league encounter against Louth on January 31.
“There is nobody really safe in their own position, apart from maybe one or two of the senior players. There is a big panel there, last year we were down on numbers but there is about 36 on the panel at the minute and they are all fighting it out for a place and there is not one man on the panel who can say that they are out of contention of making some contribution this year,” commented the Roslea defender.
After a long season with the club which saw Roslea secure a league and championship double, the Shamrock players were given an extended break by McGrath with Cassidy making his first appearance of the season on Sunday in the two point win over Derry.
“It was my first game with the county this year and I was glad to get out and get a bit of game time. Getting the 70 minutes has really helped.
“Pete was fair enough, he gave the Roslea lads a three or four week break which we were glad of but now we are back refreshed and hopefully we can give it our best to try get out of Division Three,” he added.
Cassidy admits that the focus so far this year has been to try and improve their defensive system having conceded too many scores in 2014 and although this has come at the cost of getting scores at the other end of the pitch, the defender is confident that will come right.
“I think last year we were putting up big scores but we were letting the same in, if not more, so it is about trying to balance it by not letting them hit a big score while at the same time try and put a good tally up. We are more defensive but at the same time when we get the ball we are trying to drive forward and get men into attack. It will come at the other end especially with the likes of Jonesy, Tomas and Sean as they are all proven scorers.”
He stresses though that to play this type of game takes high fitness levels.
“You have to be very fit to play this game. You can’t just tell everyone to drop back, them boys in the middle third have to be physically fit and prepared to do the work and they have to be prepared to get back when the the opposition have the ball and then get forward when we have it,” he said.
With two wins from their opening two games, it is a case of so far so good for Fermanagh but Cassidy states that while doing well in the competition was a target, being ready for the clash with Louth is the main goal.
“This is only about getting our gameplan right. Don’t get me wrong we want to do well in the McKenna Cup but it is about getting ready for the Louth game and the start of the league.
“Derry are a Dvision One side and are very physical so that can only stand us going into game against Louth and Armagh who are going to bring the exact same. It can only prepare us well.”
