Disappointed Erne Gaels manager Paul Daly hit out at what he termed “no consideration for the Belleek hurlers” from Fermanagh County Board following their narrow defeat to Sean Treacy’s in a well-contested affair in Belleek on Saturday.

And he claimed that hurling was being treated as a “second-class citizen in the county.”

Daly was forced to line out without three of their top stars, Ultan O’Reilly, Odhran Johnson (both of whom have played with Fermanagh senior hurlers) and Padraig Johnson against Sean Treacy’s of Lurgan.

This was a body blow to the home side who battled hard but were beaten by 1-13 to 1-05, a scoreline that does not reflect how close the match was where Belleek hit 13 wides, many from scorable slots and conceded an early soft goal to their more experienced opponents.

But Daly said there would have been no crisis if Fermanagh County Board had brought the scheduled county final back to Friday, October 18, and the hurlers could then have played the Ulster club match on a dry pitch last Saturday.

“I am very proud of how our lads put up a great show and honestly, I felt we left it behind us with all those wides and Sean Treacy’s got a very soft goal.

“But they deserved their victory and it was a very sporting game. We put up a massive fight given the terrible week we have had where we did not know if we were even going to field.”

He added: “I feel strongly about it and nobody really tried to get a resolution to it and nobody came to the hurlers and everybody seemed to be hiding and we were not getting any answers.

“I know Fermanagh County Board have said that this matter was an Ulster Council one- but this fixture was known for eight weeks.

“No thought was given to the possibility that the final might not go ahead last Sunday but they have no imagination.

“Could they not have looked ahead knowing the football fixture was going to be cancelled and this storm was known to be coming as far back as Monday, October 14?”

Reacting to the board’s public view last week that it did not become a real named storm until Friday, Daly said he simply “does not accept it.”

“We could not ask the lads to play an Ulster club hurling championship match on Saturday and a Fermanagh- county final on Sunday but I am convinced we would have won on Saturday if we had the three lads.

“It was heartbreaking to see Ultan O’Reilly, Odhran and Padraig Johnson on the line pucking every ball with their comrades, but knowing they could not play.

“The county football final could also have been played on Saturday, October 19 in Brewster Park under lights and we would have had our players available the next day- not an ideal situation but a lot better than not having them at all.

“Hurling is being treated as a second-class citizen in Fermanagh,” he claimed.