Derrygonnelly joint manager Sean Flanagan knows that his side is going to need a massive performance if they are to beat Erne Gaels and lift the New York Cup on Sunday at Brewster Park.

The Harps required a dramatic late rally to come from seven down late on last Saturday to defeat Kinawley but Flanagan stresses that a performance like that won’t be enough to take them to victory this weekend.

“It is going to need a huge performance,” said Flanagan. “We know a performance like that last week won’t be good enough, we are going to have to lift our game big time to compete, but we do know that it is in the boys and we showed that in the last 15 minutes against Kinawley. We know though that we will have to be at it for long periods to be able to compete with Belleek and be able to win it.”

All Derrygonnelly’s vast experience was called on during that closing spell last week but when the Harps did get the sniff of a chance of winning the game they ruthlessly took it.

“We hadn’t played well for periods of the game and we would be disappointed in that, but we’ll look at this week and see can we iron that out.

“When we did get those couple of chances though our boys used their experience and seen the chance to go for goals and went for it and maybe that was the difference in the end. It would be satisfying that the boys were able to grind that out in the end.”

That result sent the Harps back to the final, their eighth in nine years with the only blemish being last year when they lost out to Enniskillen in the semi-final, and Flanagan acknowledges that the players were hurting from that.

“It is good to be back in another final. I suppose at the start of every year that’s what you’re aim is, to get to a championship final.

“Enniskillen beat us fair and square in Tempo last year and the group were hurting as much as anybody in the club.

“You want to try and get to the latter stages of the championship every year and get to a final and put yourself in a position to win it but I suppose with having been in a few over the years it is hard to keep that hunger going every year and if you are not on it there is plenty of teams in Fermanagh who will take you out.

‘Worked hard’

“The boys were disappointed after last year but they have put in a good shift this year and worked hard,” he said.

Derrygonnelly have responded well this year to date and having already won the Division One title only Erne Gaels stand between them and completing a double.

The sides clashed earlier in the championship in a game that Derrygonnelly won by three points in terrible conditions and Flanagan isn’t reading too much into that game.

“It was a bad day for football in Garrison so you couldn’t really read much into it, it was a lottery that day. There was only a kick of the ball between us in the end,” he commented.

He was impressed though with Erne Gaels performance last Sunday as they knocked out holders Enniskillen.

“Coming into it not many people had given them a chance of beating Enniskillen but they came with a real good honest performance and worked tremendously hard and ground out the result. They were impressive.”

And he is expecting a tough encounter on Sunday at Brewster Park.

“It will be nip and tuck and committed from all angles. Watching them on Sunday, they have a very strong spine down the middle of the park and they have good players on the wings and strong forwards. They have a good balanced team and it is always a battle when you go to play them and you have to be on your game physically to match them.”

On the injury front, the Harps will be without midfielder Stephen McGullion for the tie but other than that Flanagan is hoping for a clean bill of health.

“Stephen has a cracked bone in his ankle so he will be out which is unfortunate for him, but that’s football. There are a few other wee niggles but nothing too major otherwise,” he said.