Raymond Gallagher stands nursing his hand with an ice-pack. A small casualty in a local war. He is smiling broadly.

"I remember a few years ago when I won my first ever championship game, it was a big thing and I suppose we got carried away. But not now. I suppose there is a great rivalry between ourselves and Donegal and I would know a fair few of those lads from going out in Bundoran over the years, but I think our own expectations have changed a bit.

"And there was definitely some pressure on us in terms of what our supporters expected here today, so the result is great and we needed it, even if it was not pretty to watch."

With an evening sun beginning to break through, Gallagher stands and listens to the equivocations about Fermanagh's win. That it could have been by more, it could have been better. To each he nods.

"Yeah, we kicked a few wides and stuff, but you can only play as well as you're let; Donegal are a good side and they made us work. I think our own defence was good, though, it started in the forward line and we were probably that bit hungrier."

John Gildea emerges from the Donegal dressing-room. Behind comes Brendan Devenney, strapped and on crutches. "We were disgraceful," Gildea volunteers. "I don't know what to put it down to, I wish I could. It was a case of Fermanagh actually keeping us in the game rather than us doing anything ourselves. I would say that 95 per cent of our team played below themselves out there and we have a lot of soul-searching to do."

Of all the seasons Brian McEniff has given to Donegal football, this is the toughest. He makes a courtesy call to the Fermanagh dressing-room and then stops to consider the predicament of his county.

"It was the worst display ever seen by a Donegal team," he begins. "We had some angry words at half-time because I think the lack of spirit showed. But really, Fermanagh might have put us away a lot earlier and if we had come back at the end, we really would have stolen the game. Brendan took a knock, there was no malice in it and obviously we had to make adjustments there.

"We genuinely took a hammering at midfield and we moved various players in there but to no avail. I mean, I have no excuses. And we just have to pick it up now."