Antrim Football Thread

[Milltown Row2]

Can't wait! Will be nail biting stuff, hopefully our club person will get in

[Saffs on Tour]

Anyone at the U21 semi finals on Sunday?

Rossa seemed to run out well against St Brigid's, favourites for the final?

[BrendanAntrim]

Interesting piece in the Irish News on Lenny's plans and squad for the season. Worth reading.

[paddyjohn]

TOWERING midfielder Niall McKeever has rejoined the Antrim senior football panel after stepping away from the set-up last season.

The Portglenone clubman, who spent a few years with Aussie Rules club Brisbane Lions, is not the only old face expected to return to the fold in 2018.

New manager Lenny Harbinson is hoping to persuade several other former county players come back on board.

"I'm still talking to a few players behind the scenes to see if they can commit," said Harbinson, who was reluctant to announce their names at this stage.

"They're probably holding back to see what the new set-up is like.

"A few of them are creeping towards the latter end of their county careers and they have a few years left in them for their clubs. So they're considering things."

Alongside McKeever, Moneyglass forward Colin Duffin has rejoined the squad after a couple of years away from the county scene.

And Harbinson confirmed that Dublin-based players Mark Sweeney and Peter Healy have declared for the Saffrons ahead of the new season.

Sweeney has been a hugely influential player for Antrim and was a key player for last year's management team Frank Fitzsimons and Gearoid Adams.

Rookie defender Healy, who is studying in UCD, made a glowing impression in 2017 and Harbinson is delighted to have him on board.

"Mark Sweeney and Peter Healy, both of whom are in Dublin, will be involved," said the St Gall's man. "Peter, who is a cracking footballer, is injured at the minute and should be back in the next few weeks.

"I've been saying to those boys: 'Stay in Dublin – don't come up during the week' and we can get a programme down to them and they can come up at the weekend because we do a strength and conditioning session on Saturdays and some tactical stuff on a Sundays at Dunsilly."

Forwards Conor Small and Owen Gallagher who played in 2017 won't be involved next season. Small, a gifted young footballer, has decided to go travelling while Glenavy ace Gallagher is still based in Galway.

Harbinson acknowledged assembling a new squad and backroom team has taken immense effort but he has been greatly encouraged by the support he's received from the county board and from clubs.

"There's been a very positive response throughout the county – over 20 clubs put players forward for the trial games, players who were not involved at all last year," said Harbinson.

"So it was good to see the interest from the clubs and starting that process of re-connecting with them.

"The county board has been very supportive too in what we're trying to do."

The vast majority of last year's squad that fell to back-to-back Championship defeats to Donegal and Sligo are back involved under the new management team.

"The fitness of the squad is not bad for this time of year.

"A lot of modern footballers look after themselves so they've been training away on their own prior to me taking over.

"Out of the trial matches we probably brought in eight or nine new faces. And from last year's Championship panel there are one or two players that have dipped out because of injury or university.

"But it's my intention to go with a squad of 26 or 28 players. I want to work with a tight panel and to work with them intensively because we're playing catch up."

Antrim also find themselves in Division Four next season.

Harbinson has been surprised by the high amount of injuries he's encountered in pre-season.

"I think the reason why some players are injured is because they haven't been doing foam rolling, basic stretching.

"At Ballymacnab, the players did their foam rolling before and after training sessions, which is necessary to increase flexibility and avoid injury.

Brendan Trainer, who worked with Harbinson at Ballymacnab up until this season, will be Antrim's new assistant manager.

Fintan Devlin of Loup is the squad's new strength and conditioning coach, St Agnes' clubman Roy McLarnon (kit man), St Brigid's Oliver Lennon (logistics), Aghgallon's Peter Bunting (goalkeeping coach), Barry McManus (video analsysis) and Johnny Kelly (physio) complete Harbinson's backroom team.

"The McKenna Cup will give me a couple of early games to look at the panel in competitive situations," noted Harbinson,

"The McKenna Cup [group stages] will be played Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday and the teams coming out of the groups will be playing the following weekend.

"Then the National League starts in the last weekend of January and runs right through to March. So once you hit January it's all guns blazing."

[country bumpkin]

Interesting piece in the Irish News on Lenny's plans and squad for the season. Worth reading.

Are u feeling more optimistic BB.....

[bogieman]

Interesting piece in the Irish News on Lenny's plans and squad for the season. Worth reading.

go Lenny...

The rest of you negativity posters; quiet. I'm tired 

P.s.
Bottle it till end February.

[bannside]

To be honest I would like to see a few more proven forwards on the panel. I heard today from sources in Ballymena that Matt Fitzpatrick turned down a contract with Ballymena Utd to play for Antrim footballers. If true, well done, we need players of this calibre, especially forwards.

[country bumpkin]

So the Bel Tel, always huge supporters of the Association have their say on Antrim affairs.....

[bannside]

What about the content? Anything at all you are happy with in there....a blind man can see meaningful progress to be fair about  the thing!

[country bumpkin]

What about the content? Anything at all you are happy with in there....a blind man can see meaningful progress to be fair about  the thing!

Content has omission and inaccuracy aplenty BS, but the source is more questionable emanating from a newspaper which only pays lip service to our Association and penned by one who would not have a clue on how to get to Miltown, Cargin, O'Cahan park or indeed any other unit in our county.
You consider him as qualified to pass opinion on the direction Antrim needs to take.....? 

[bannside]

What about the £1.5million funding secured for coaching in Belfast which will free up additional coaches for SW and N.A. too. Or the new relationship with Casement Park social club which has raised over £60k in the last two years.

Anyone impressed with that? I definitely am!

[country bumpkin]

What about the £1.5million funding secured for coaching in Belfast which will free up additional coaches for SW and N.A. too. Or the new relationship with Casement Park social club which has raised over £60k in the last two years.

Anyone impressed with that? I definitely am!

Well that £1.5 mil is certainly a tribute to the endeavours of Dr Young in particular and certainly the SW and North will welcome any crumbs.
As for the Social Club....well our own in Cargin always provides without query or question.....

But the question posed is ....."the rights or otherwise of a newspaper or a scribe therein to tell, or even suggest a way forward for a body which they have always shunned or kept at arm's length"...?

[bannside]

But if the Irish News comes out with something similar (ie highlighting the good work being done) youll be happy to give the thumbs up and say fair play these boys are making a difference. Yes/No?

[country bumpkin]

But if the Irish News comes out with something similar (ie highlighting the good work being done) youll be happy to give the thumbs up and say fair play these boys are making a difference. Yes/No?

Difference will be perceived when we win something....BS.
As the bard said "All that glitters etc.........".
Seems u got inside info Bannside......u been talking to Mr Crossan....or speaking to the PR man...?

[Milltown Row2]

But if the Irish News comes out with something similar (ie highlighting the good work being done) youll be happy to give the thumbs up and say fair play these boys are making a difference. Yes/No?

Difference will be perceived when we win something....BS.
As the bard said "All that glitters etc.........".
Seems u got inside info Bannside......u been talking to Mr Crossan....or speaking to the PR man...?

Win something? Like an All Ireland?