Fermanagh Premiers rounded off their SuperCupNI week with morale boosting victory in their final game of the tournament, but manager Keith Douglas was left to rue a series of injuries that he felt harmed their chances of additional success in the tournament.

Five high-intensity games in five days took its toll on the squad, with injuries from day one impacting their hopes.

“Overall, we were disappointed,” admitted Douglas.

“We are not the only county to have had injuries, but I thought injuries affected us greatly in what we were able to do, both on the pitch and in our ability to make changes.

Friday’s match in particular, we only had 11 players not carrying injuries and two of those were goalkeepers. It is a heavy week and to be carrying that many fellas with knocks takes its toll on the rest of the players as well, physically. They were tired.”

The Fermanagh Premiers were pitched into a difficult group, with an opening game against Premier League giants Manchester United before a day two fixture against eventual group winners Intercontinental FA.

“Against Manchester United I thought the 4-0 scoreline flattered them,” said Douglas, as he reflected on two late goals for United.

“We gave up possession and tried to keep things tight, and to be 4-0, even the boys felt it was a wee bit harsh on them. In the second game against Intercontinental, I thought we were disappointing. I don’t think we did ourselves any justice in that game, and yet they got to the Supercup tournament. We played none in the first half, but for a period of about 15 minutes in the second half I thought we matched them very well. Then they got their second goal and that deflated us more.”

Day three looked like yielding Fermanagh’s first win of the tournament when they moved into a 2-1 lead against Skouted FC with only five minutes remaining and their opponents down to 10 men, and despite two injury-time goals turning the game on its head Douglas reckoned their performance was their best of the week.

“Against Skouted it was probably where we saw Fermanagh at their best,” he said.

“That is what we thought we had in the camp from day one. To lose it was gut-wrenching, but they are the swings and roundabouts in football.”

The defeat sent Fermanagh into the semi-final of the Salver competition against Shoshi High School, and despite the Japanese side not having won any of their group games, Douglas felt they were the best side they faced.

“I thought personally they were probably the best team we played all week,” he said.

“They were very good technically and tactically, and very strong on and off the ball. It was probably one of those games where it was a game too far for our lads, with the injuries catching up on them and not being able to give boys sufficient rest time. When you are always chasing a game it can be very mentally draining.”

Fermanagh had one last chance to claim a win on Friday, and after a slow start they produced a convincing second-half performance with goals from Callum St. Ledger and Fionn Stroud seeing off Barca Academy Dubai.

“It was great to finish on a high for the boys,” admitted the manager.

“In the first half, we were very poor, and in the second half, we tweaked a few things and got the job done. All week we tried our best to give the crowd something to cheer and get the crowd on our side.

"I think on Friday it was one of those games where if we got an early goal we could have gone on and scored a few more goals. It took a while to get the goal, after an inspired goalkeeping performance from an outfield player playing in goal, but when we got that goal we knew we were going to kick on. Their chances were very limited in the second half.

“Overall, we are extremely proud of the lads,” he added. “From the word go we never had any problems with them. They are a good bunch of fellas. Their behaviour inside and outside the hotel was exemplary. I want to thank all the parents, guardians and families as well for their brilliant support to the management team over the last three years. They have been brilliant supporters, the best in all the tournament.”

Douglas also had words of thanks for his coaching team and the support staff.

“I couldn’t have any better fellas to help me along the journey,” he said.

“The backroom team, the physio, everyone has been excellent. We had plenty of experience and plenty of youthful enthusiasm.

"The behind-the-scenes people as well, I don’t think there is another county in the whole of the province that has as good a backroom team. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. Anything we did ask for we got, and in relation to the way they look after the boys for the whole week is great.

"The last three years we have been up that road and the boys are treated like kings for a week. They don’t have to put their hands in their pockets if they don’t want to. The facility we are in is excellently located and the boys have plenty of stuff to do if they want. The staff in the hotel couldn’t have been any better towards us, they were fantastic people.

“I also want to acknowledge the achievements of the Junior squad and Ciaran and his backroom team,” he added.

“To get three wins is a great feat, and they were unfortunate not to have a trophy to show for it at the end of the week. They can take an awful lot out of it. Ciaran and his team can be very proud of their success in their first year. It is a super achievement. We were quite happy to win one game, but they were exceptional in winning three.