All-Ireland SFC Qualifier/Cavan v Fermanagh: It is truly ironic that many Cavan supporters look back to the match in which their side produced its worst form of the season in order to find solace ahead of Sunday's qualifier against Fermanagh in Enniskillen.

Antrim provided the opposition at Casement Park that day last month when all Cavan heads dropped following an unexpected quarter-final defeat. Shortly afterwards the significance of that defeat was put into context through the form-guide in the Antrim-Armagh match.

Cavan selector Michael Reilly puts the sequence into perspective: "Considering we didn't perform against Antrim and then they lost by only three points to Armagh puts us in a reasonable to good light.

"The Antrim match was our big disappointment of the year, we didn't do ourselves justice by any manner or means, too many players did not play to form. It was easily our worst performance of the year.

"We didn't play for whatever reason that day and it proved a great disappointment the length and breath of the county. We hit something like 20 wides in Casement and you just cannot afford that in championship football," asserts Reilly

"But we are confident that we can rid ourselves of that disastrous form and play the way we did against Louth in our last qualifier. We conceded two penalties that day, the second of a dubious nature, and still won," he adds.

"We would of course also be happy to hit on the form that gave us a draw with Laois in a high scoring league tie in Breffni Park and we would settle for the type of game that saw us beat Kildare and Meath in the league."

The most recent history of Cavan-Fermanagh matches gives Fermanagh a 2-1 advantage.

"They beat us in this year's league in Enniskilen but we won a great match in Breffni Park in last year's league. The previous year they gave us quite a hiding back in Enniskillen," recalls Reilly.

Cavan will be starting a few points down in the eyes of many observers because of the absence of centre-half back and captain Peter Reilly, who sustained a cruciate injury against Louth. He is expected to be out for months.

"Peter is an inspirational player, the type of player that a team can ill-afford to lose," says the Cavan selector.

Anthony Forde moves to centre back and Jason Reilly returns to the full-forward line to add thrust to that division with the left-corner position likely to be filled by 20-year-old Gerald Pearson.

Making enforced changes on a regular basis is not unusual for Mattie Kerrigan and his selectors. Injuries combined with student exams has seen players coming in and going out of the side over the past year.

"But we are almost back to the side that played consistently in the league at this stage," says Reilly.

The Cavan selector sees a great deal depending on midfield control. In this context it is strange to see their most successful midfielder, Dermot McCabe, start at full forward.

No doubt the 26-year-old Gowna man will switch back to his favourite position at some stage of Sunday's game.

"We are keen to reverse the result of our last league meeting but it could be a very close call as both sides can produce good scoring forwards when in form'" says Reilly.

The Cavan panel is liberally sprinkled with very young players. Included are seven 19-year-olds, four 20-year-olds and there are 20 players under 25. The hope within the county is that some of the current older players will stay on to lend encouragement and give the younger set time to mature.