Fermanagh county board chairman Peter Carty will be taking more than a passing interest in how Loup fare in Sunday’s Ulster Club final against St Gall’s.

Long-serving Loup midfield ace Johnny McBride is now part of Malachy O’Rourke’s Erne management team and Carty believes that he can help inculcate additional passion within the county squad.

Carty said: “Johnny has always been a very committed player and he has been at the core of Loup’s progress.

“When they won the Ulster Club title in 2003, he was their driving force and he is still in there leading by splendid example.

“I must say that we are delighted to have him on board our Fermanagh management team and I have no doubt that he will bring his own special qualities to the table — and one of these is certainly passion for the game.”

Should Loup succeed in landing the provincial crown on Sunday, though, McBride will be required by the club for All Ireland Club duty in the early part of 2010 meaning that his involvement with Fermanagh at that juncture could be restricted.

Carty added: “Obviously I would like to see Loup win it for Johnny’s sake.

“We would just have to cross the bridges as we come to them. We face a fairly demanding itinerary in the Barretts Sports Lighting Dr McKenna Cup in which we have been bracketed in our section with Armagh, Monaghan and UUJ with our first match away to Armagh in Crossmaglen.

“That’s never an easy touch.”

Fermanagh lost to Cavan in the Ulster Championship this year before exiting the All Ireland Qualifiers at the hands of Wicklow but

Carty is confident that the Ernesiders’ fortunes will improve next year.

“Our management will be in their third year and they are very anxious to achieve something.

“They will be given every support. I have no doubt that there will be fresh faces in there and it would certainly be encouraging if we could hit the ground running although if championship success were to come along we would not mind too much what might happen in January,” states Enniskillen businessman Carty.

Five years ago. Fermanagh reached the All Ireland semi-finals in which they were beaten by Mayo after a replay.