Fermanagh can make history come Saturday evening if they can navigate their way through the familiar siege of Antrim at Brewster Park.

One small step at the weekend will see one huge leap into the Tailteann Cup semi-finals for the first time since the competition began in 2022.

It’s a team Kieran Donnelly and his backroom team know well having faced them several times in the past few years.

Antrim and Limerick were the only two options for the Erne side as they were unable to be drawn against group opponents Wicklow and Laois and that will give Donnelly’s players confidence knowing they were, statistically, in the best group with three of the teams reaching the quarter-final stage.

“It wasn’t a massive surprise, it was a 50/50 between Antrim and Limerick,” Donnelly said on the draw.

“We had planned in advance for both. It’s Antrim and we know them well and there’s a familiarity having played each other quite a bit over these past few years.

"I suppose that’s one of the bonuses, it just cuts down on the amount of research you have to do because we know each other so well.”

The two sides met in the final game of last year’s Tailteann Cup group where three second-half goals from Antrim saw them top the class with Fermanagh going on to lose in the preliminary quarter-final.

However, it’s a refurbished Fermanagh squad since that game, 12 months on.

“Well, I suppose the big thing is that there’s a big change in personnel,” Donnelly added.

“There’d be quite a turnover, even from our Laois game, we counted only seven or eight starters from the year before, so, that’s probably something similar again going into this game.

"It’s a new team really, we hope that we have learned from our mistakes in that game as well, but it’s a new team going into this game from the previous year.”

One big positive is that Fermanagh are set to go into the quarter-final with a fully fit squad with firepower off the bench.

Saturday’s hosts best showing in the recently introduced competition came in the inaugural year of the Tailteann Cup two years ago.

Donnelly says his side are relishing the opportunity to enter uncharted waters: “Totally. That’s why you train. You have to enjoy those games, that’s why you train hard for those big moments.

"We’re looking forward to it, we’re at home, it’ll be a tough game no doubt. Antrim racked up a big score against Sligo, we have to very much be on it, but it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to and we feel we’re ready for it.”

Monday’s draw may have brought some relief for Antrim as they will travel the recognisable road to Enniskillen, as opposed to a trip below the border.

After topping Group Three, Donnelly says home comforts can aid his team’s preparations.

“I tend to not get too much caught up on the home advantage, the main advantage of it is that logistically in terms of the travel, the surroundings and your pre-game ritual remain very similar, which, to me, is a big thing,” he continued.

“That’s the major plus and the familiarity with the pitch. When the ball is thrown up, it’s still a pitch. That won’t win us the game, it’s much about our attitude, our ability on the ball and our decision-making at key times will determine the outcome of the game.”