By Shaun Casey

THE flowing nature of the National League means Monaghan don’t have much time to lick their wounds from a hefty defeat to Louth on their first outing as another fixture against Fermanagh is just around the corner.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Arthur Hughes’ men will have needed to pick themselves up fairly sharply and must be ready to go again in the hope of getting a win on the board and perhaps kick-starting their campaign.

That is easier said than done however and the Farney men, having played on home turf last weekend against Louth, are on the road this Sunday afternoon as they travel to Brewster Park, Enniskillen.

It’s two years since these sides have locked horns in a competitive setting and Monaghan edged out the Erne County by two points in the opening round of the 2023 Division 3A league.

Those two points were hugely important at the time for Monaghan, who survived the drop from Division 3A. Fermanagh weren’t just as lucky however, and they fell into the basement division for 2024.

This time around however, with the restructuring of the National League, both sides were operating in Division Four and both teams similarly lost out to Louth in their first run out of the year.

Two weeks ago, the Wee County had nine points to spare against Fermanagh while Monaghan had a bye on the opening weekend. They were in action last Saturday and suffered the same fate as Fermanagh against the Leinster men.

Louth led by four points when the half-time whistle sounded in Truagh last week but pushed on significantly in the second half. By the end of the contest, Louth had sailed into a comfortable 2-24 to 0-12 win.

Niall Arthur was responsible for all but two of Monaghan’s scores, with three of his 0-10 coming from open play. The only other scorer in blue and white was Eithan Flynn, who finished with 0-2.

Fermanagh did bounce back in round two and they saw off Longford at Kinawley by three points. A first-half goal from corner-forward Caolan Duffy was the difference between the sides in the end and he finished with 1-2.

The attacking threat of the Duffys, namely John and Caolan, along with Sean Corrigan, will offer food for thought this week for Hughes.

If Monaghan can keep those forwards quiet, and have a better day in front of the posts themselves, they have a chance of getting off the mark.