Antrim Football Thread

[Simon Says]

Came away from the game yesterday disappointed, as i felt the lads put in a more than decent shift. we are lacking a natural out and out finisher and 3 come to mind aren't in the panel Brian neeson, Karl stewart and whether people like it or not its cj mc gourty, these boys are dynamite inside when they get a chance and every year its our shooting that costs us. Only for the heroics of Captain Kevin o Boyle and keeper Chris Kerr we would have been beat by 15 points at least, the lad finch tried hard but wasn't anywhere near that young lad MC curry. MC veigh and Carron done well in midfield from kickouts but tracking their men was an issue as Kane scored 2-3 points and caving could have had a few goals. up front we offered nothing to be honest, pollock seemed to be playing as a 3rd midfielder which was rather strange as he is one of the quickest inside forwards in antrim. MC canny was isolated and i feel he is more effective in the middle, Michael hereon didn't offer much. i hope the lads can knuckle down and pull off a performance on Wednesday night against a Derry side who dismantled UK on Saturday night.

[bannside]

A hard game to evaluate. The positives were Kerr and Kobo who look the part. (Kobo saved two goalbound efforts on the line). Mc Veigh battled all day in midfield, and will get fitter as the year progresses. A reminder of how important Niblock is to the team. We went toe to toe for large periods, but lost our way without the physical presence and battling qualities that Nibs brings to the team.

Our management will take the positives and will also be aware of a few things being tried out that didnt go so well. Its mid -January and the time to try things out, look at a few players  etc.

I saw enough to know that we will be competitive in division three and a good run there should leave us pitched nicely for the match that matters most - Monaghan.






   

[AQMP]

Came away from the game yesterday disappointed, as i felt the lads put in a more than decent shift. we are lacking a natural out and out finisher and 3 come to mind aren't in the panel Brian neeson, Karl stewart and whether people like it or not its cj mc gourty, these boys are dynamite inside when they get a chance and every year its our shooting that costs us. Only for the heroics of Captain Kevin o Boyle and keeper Chris Kerr we would have been beat by 15 points at least, the lad finch tried hard but wasn't anywhere near that young lad MC curry. MC veigh and Carron done well in midfield from kickouts but tracking their men was an issue as Kane scored 2-3 points and caving could have had a few goals. up front we offered nothing to be honest, pollock seemed to be playing as a 3rd midfielder which was rather strange as he is one of the quickest inside forwards in antrim. MC canny was isolated and i feel he is more effective in the middle, Michael hereon didn't offer much. i hope the lads can knuckle down and pull off a performance on Wednesday night against a Derry side who dismantled UK on Saturday night.

Wait til the flag protesters hear this!!

Seriously Simon & bannside, thanks for your analysis.  Seems like there's a fair amount of work to be done??  What happened to Neeson?  Was he not touted as a good propsect last year??

[Dreen]

I see bannside where you are coming from about niblocks battling qualities but in my eyes at times he slows the play down, he's great at winning the ball but I'd want men running off him and quick passes.  Kerr made 2 great saves but he also made a few mistakes as well, has a great kick and shot stopping ability though, no doubt.  Antrims forward issues to me are not all about the talent there, there is a serious issue in forward play, either too much space or no space in front of full forward line.  Wing 3/4 men have no real purpose in my eyes.  If they can sort how they want the 3/4 line to function the full forward line will benefit.

[bannside]

Welcome onboard Dreen and fair comment too.

I`d say the new management team will want to look at a few options before they decide how best to utilise their strengths. Obviously Mick and Micko were put into the FF line to add some physical presence and the third Michael (Pollock) dropping back deep to make some space and act as playmaker. At least that looked like the plan, and all these things need to be looked at in a match situation. If we are going for big physical ball winners in there, there will also be yet other Michael (Magill) to consider and possibly Mark Dougan if he gets his knee problem sorted.

If we are going for quick nippy forwards then I still think Ciaran Close has a lot to offer and I liked the shapes Ryan Murray was making when introduced yesterday. A natural scoring forward who like Ciaran will benefit from the top of the ground. Depends really on the tactics and horses for courses etc.

Overall theres plenty of talent on the panel and with a few established players (Tomas, Andy, Conall Kelly etc) still to feature I think FD will have plenty of selection headaches ahead.  Good problem to have though!

Forgot to mention Conor Murray yesterday. Turning into a class act. For me him and Mark Sweeney were a real breath of fresh air last year.

[Simon Says]

The stand out players for me were O Boyle, Mc Veigh and Kerr they looked the part, mc veigh didnt let cavanagh settle and done a solid job on him. o Boyle didnt give that lad mcaliskey a sniff and they are expecting big things from that boy hassled him and tackled him hard but fair, kerr made 3 or 4 tremendous saves (even after his own terrible pass) he recovered well and great kickouts throughout the game. murray has turned into a super player also, anyone heading to the game tomorrow night able to provide updates?

[bannside]

Just back from a rollercoaster of a ride up in Celtic Pk and dont really know where to start.

I suppose if someone had offered us a draw before the game we would all have taken that. But I have to say I am home with a real mixed bag of emotions. First emotion - angry and frustrated.

This is a game we should have won, but didnt. Forget the opposition, this was 15 v 15 and we had the game in the bag and let it slip. What makes it worse for me is that I really cant ever remember us beating Derry anywhere anytime, and tonight we went so close to breaking that mould. But we didnt.

We were a remarkable seven points up with 20 minutes left, and in control of the game, but ended up with Derry supporters cheering loudest at the finish. Frustrating because we should have been out of sight, but scuffed a couple of gilt edge chances at the end to put the game to bed - one in particular a simple tap over at the death. Derry sensed we couldnt close the game out, and got the equaliser to punish us right at the end. So the long wait continues.......

The other emotion is pride that we went toe to toe with our biggest rivals in their own backyard and although in a condescending way they might point out it was only the Mc Kenna cup, make no mistake about it Derry had to pull out all the ammunition they could muster to level the game. Tonight we battled with them all over the pitch and obtained a moral victory of sorts - but though I try to put a positive spin on this, to be honest I am angry that we couldnt finish off the job.

Tomorrow, when I settle down a bit I will mention some of the good stuff that went on and a few players in particular were outstanding. Overall its been a good Mc Kenna cup, and I like the start that FD and co have made to their tenure.

[AQMP]

Just back from a rollercoaster of a ride up in Celtic Pk and dont really know where to start.

I suppose if someone had offered us a draw before the game we would all have taken that. But I have to say I am home with a real mixed bag of emotions. First emotion - angry and frustrated.

This is a game we should have won, but didnt. Forget the opposition, this was 15 v 15 and we had the game in the bag and let it slip. What makes it worse for me is that I really cant ever remember us beating Derry anywhere anytime, and tonight we went so close to breaking that mould. But we didnt.
We were a remarkable seven points up with 20 minutes left, and in control of the game, but ended up with Derry supporters cheering loudest at the finish. Frustrating because we should have been out of sight, but scuffed a couple of gilt edge chances at the end to put the game to bed - one in particular a simple tap over at the death. Derry sensed we couldnt close the game out, and got the equaliser to punish us right at the end. So the long wait continues.......

The other emotion is pride that we went toe to toe with our biggest rivals in their own backyard and although in a condescending way they might point out it was only the Mc Kenna cup, make no mistake about it Derry had to pull out all the ammunition they could muster to level the game. Tonight we battled with them all over the pitch and obtained a moral victory of sorts - but though I try to put a positive spin on this, to be honest I am angry that we couldnt finish off the job.

Tomorrow, when I settle down a bit I will mention some of the good stuff that went on and a few players in particular were outstanding. Overall its been a good Mc Kenna cup, and I like the start that FD and co have made to their tenure.

17 January 2010
McKenna Cup Casement Park
Antrim 3-7 Derry 0-15

Still, it must have been a frustrating watch bannside.  Reports say Antrim were 1-10 to 0-5 up at one stage?  Who did well for us??

[NAG1]

Just back from a rollercoaster of a ride up in Celtic Pk and dont really know where to start.

I suppose if someone had offered us a draw before the game we would all have taken that. But I have to say I am home with a real mixed bag of emotions. First emotion - angry and frustrated.

This is a game we should have won, but didnt. Forget the opposition, this was 15 v 15 and we had the game in the bag and let it slip. What makes it worse for me is that I really cant ever remember us beating Derry anywhere anytime, and tonight we went so close to breaking that mould. But we didnt.
We were a remarkable seven points up with 20 minutes left, and in control of the game, but ended up with Derry supporters cheering loudest at the finish. Frustrating because we should have been out of sight, but scuffed a couple of gilt edge chances at the end to put the game to bed - one in particular a simple tap over at the death. Derry sensed we couldnt close the game out, and got the equaliser to punish us right at the end. So the long wait continues.......

The other emotion is pride that we went toe to toe with our biggest rivals in their own backyard and although in a condescending way they might point out it was only the Mc Kenna cup, make no mistake about it Derry had to pull out all the ammunition they could muster to level the game. Tonight we battled with them all over the pitch and obtained a moral victory of sorts - but though I try to put a positive spin on this, to be honest I am angry that we couldnt finish off the job.

Tomorrow, when I settle down a bit I will mention some of the good stuff that went on and a few players in particular were outstanding. Overall its been a good Mc Kenna cup, and I like the start that FD and co have made to their tenure.

17 January 2010
McKenna Cup Casement Park
Antrim 3-7 Derry 0-15

Still, it must have been a frustrating watch bannside.  Reports say Antrim were 1-10 to 0-5 up at one stage?  Who did well for us??

That would have been some trick considering the final score?

[imtommygunn]

That final score is from 2010.

Last night 1-13 each...

[James Gatz]

Wasn't able to make the game, although seems positive that we scored 1.08 without reply at one stage. Frustrating not to close it out obviously but seems like there's some positive signs for the league at least. Who were the good and bad for us Bannside? Think we have found any players for the league and any stabs at a first 15 for the Cavan game?

[bannside]

Forgot about that win. I suppose theres no point in being stupid if I dont show it now and again! Remember it now - Skinner dropped two or three frees into our keepers hands and we held on!

Back to last nights match and there were lots of positives. The main one was undoubtedly that we put 1-08 past Derry without reply in a glorious spell each side of the break. For half an hour Derry couldnt score against us, and we were rampant all over the pitch. I dont think we should call the result a collapse, as much as that we had our spell of dominance, and Derry were always going to have their spell too.

I loved the way we were winning a lot of the key duals, and that we kept coming back to create a few chances to win the game, even at the end when Derry were on top, we were still trying to push on and get across the line. It wasnt just backs to the wall, our men kept going to the end and really wanted to get the win.

Our style is much more about getting scores on the board than the cautious defensive style that was so hard to watch in recent years. Theres a confidence that the new management are spreading that we are a good football team and the ball is definitely moving quicker  and much more direct. At least thats whats coming across!

Derry have punished a lot of teams particularly at fortress Celtic Park, but couldnt get away from us at any stage. For me thats the biggest positive. Ive been hearing about the savage tackling drills that Brian Mc Iver has been doing, but we were turning them over with regularity, and forcing them to play backwards and laterally. Lots to like about that too.

The emergence of Sean Mc Veigh as the bulwark of the side is a huge positive as well. He won the midfield battle against us in Ruislip, and is now providing a real physical presence for us at midfield, and surging runs deep into opposition territory. Wont ever shirk a battle either, and gave Sean Cavanagh his fill on Sunday and was definitely the top midfielder on view last night. (And trust me PJ Mc Cluskey is a class act too - I managed him for a year and he is some fielder of a ball). Mc Veigh goes straight and not across the field slowing things down.

I`m starting to get really excited about a 19 year old who I think can be the real deal for us. Ryan Murray gets into the right spaces and can take his defender on and knows where the posts are. Thats another huge positive for Antrim football. He could be anything. Plus the Herron brothers do give us an added physical dimension too, both having good games last night.

There were a few negatives. Niblock had to come off hobbling badly and we know how crucial he is. Also, I can see another very established player who seems to be completely out of sorts, but has time to get the confidence sorted as its only January.

But overall we go into the NFL with good hopes.

[imtommygunn]

Thanks Bannside.

How does Doherty do in the full back line? Having read his interview in the IN about a month ago he seemed keen to get a midfield berth. Is he good at FB or is he a stop gap until McLean gets fit?

I played against McVeigh years ago and have seen him a good few times before London. I saw him against Irvinestown for Ballymena last year and he looked a cracker though obviously a much higher standard there. He must have done some bulking up in London.

It'll be interesting to see who his partner is later in the year.

[AQMP]

Cheers bannside.  I've heard good things about Ryan Murray from up home too.

[bannside]

Paul Doc had a solid game on James Kielt. He maybe could have used possession a little bit better a time or two, but as a full back he has presence, good hands and will make Andy work hard for the jersey. Its probably been a while since he has played there, so it will take a game or two, and we can expect a bit of rustiness here or there. Great to have him back in the panel.

I really dont know who our midfield will be. Mc Veigh would be my guess, and probably Mick but let them all fight it out for the priviledge. Should start a bring home Niall Mc Keever campaign too. Think of the ball he would get his hands on now that he is nearing his prime.