Antrim Football Thread

[SambaSaffron]

Agreed samba. will settle on winning this McKenna cup, good position in the league, run Tyrone close and do well in the Qualifiers.

Not all that worried about McKenna cup to be honest. It'd be nice to get a bit of silverware, but it'd be tough without the Galls lads. I'd be happy enough to see a few new faces come through. Hopefully challenge for promotion in the league(won't be easy but look at Tipp last year), as you say give Tyrone a game, and who knows. We'd be highly unlikely to beat them, but a decent qualifier run isn't beyond us.

[imtommygunn]

We need to find more non st galls players capable of playing county football in mckenna cup as we'll be needing them for the league if st galls get to all ireland final and if they don't they won't be in the form to play anyway Would want to be mid table anyway in division 3.

McKenna cup important to blood 3 or 4 players. Magill and Doherty are two good additions well fit to play county though. Hopefully someone like Hasson can step up to the plate to replace McKeever too.

[BallyhaiseMan]

I dont think you lads know exactly how shite the standard is in division 3.
Providing you can reach the heights of last year,even without the galls lads,mid table should be comfortable and then challenge for promotion hopefully after St Patricks day when Galls bring the All Ireland Club back to Ulster.
Offaly
Fermanagh,
Louth
Wexford,
Roscommon
Cavan,   
Sligo

Not a decent side among them.

[imtommygunn]

There is nothing to fear there no doubt but we've definitely nothing to be complacent about either...

With the Galls boys promotion would have been a goal - without I think it's a bit too much. You never know though...

Who's Elizabeth?

[BallyhaiseMan]

There is nothing to fear there no doubt but we've definitely nothing to be complacent about either...

With the Galls boys promotion would have been a goal - without I think it's a bit too much. You never know though...

Who's Elizabeth?

Yeh,i have my doubts whether you lads can reach last years level, and you may suffer from possible second season syndrome
But on last years showing, you're better than all the other teams in Divsion 3.
I was at all of Cavans league games last year except Offaly away,and the standard of every team  including my own with the exception of Tipp was atrocious.

google Elizabeth Lambert, New Mexico Soccer.
She likes it rough,my type of girl 

[imtommygunn]

Haha - ah yes I remember her now.

I think we're somewhere in between last year and the year before realistically. The key thing always has been belief which Baker has instilled. There are good footballers in Antrim but there is not enough depth in the club scene. Fortunately for the first time ever we had a team competing at McRory level.(Not particpating but competing) but we need better from underage teams...

Cavan have gone to the dogs for some reason. They had a good batch all of similar age I suppose and just hadn't got what it takes to replace. They always do well without winning in minor. You'd have thought with better management they could be a lot better.

[SambaSaffron]

Thing is Ballyhaise man, there were 6 Galls boys in our starting team last year. Add Niall McKeever and thats almost half our team gone. To be honest we don't have the greatest strength in depth. So the first few league games will be tough, we'll possibly only have the Galls boys for 2-3 games (not sure of fixtures, and depending how they do in their semi).

[imtommygunn]

Starting salary?

[Last Man]

Jasus it makes my blood boil when I hear about the money senior managers are getting. The fact that clubmen haven't the confidence or ambition to manage their own team is very worrying for the future. I've heard all the arguments and I don't buy any of them. If all these teachers are so under pressure how do they manage it.

[Atticus_Finch]

Anyone any idea of what sort of team Antrim will be fielding on Sunday ?

Whos missing aside from the St Galls lads ?  Tomas Mc Cann and Justin Crozier ?

[stiffler]

Sunday will see the beginning of another year and another challenge for Antrim, when they meet Derry in the Mc Kenna Cup. Spectators may take it as a given that steeled determination will certainly be in evidence, when the Senior Football Team run out on to the field at Casement Park on Sunday. Expect this Team to come out fired up for the occasion. your  continuing support and encouragement is important .   

  1 John Finucane
    2 Aaron Douglas
    3 Paul Doherty
    4 Damien Gault
    5 Tony Scullion
    6 Kevin Mc Quillan
    7 James Loughery
    8 Benny Hassan
    9 Neill O' Connell
    10 Brendan Herron
    11 Owen O' Neill
    12 Michael Mc Cann
    13 Paddy Cunningham
    14 Michael Magill
    15 Gerard O' Boyle




Good lot of lads there who didnt play any championship football last year, strong enough team all the same!

[imtommygunn]

I like the look of that forward line a lot more than the one last year... I couldn't see Owen O'Neill making it (should be Eoin I would think...) but O'Boyle Magill and Herron should be valuable additions. Definitely a lot more physical presence. Is Kevin Brady back this year?

Not sure of McQuillan at CHB - haven't seen him in a few years and he was quite young then but hopefully he'll do well. We still look weak in the FB line but good to see Loughrey and Scullion playing and I hope Benny Hasson starts to deliver on his promise too. Gault was good a few years ago so hopefully he will continue to play like that.

Reads like it's been written by that crazy Laurence man of the country web site...

[stiffler]

I like the look of that forward line a lot more than the one last year... I couldn't see Owen O'Neill making it (should be Eoin I would think...) but O'Boyle Magill and Herron should be valuable additions. Definitely a lot more physical presence. Is Kevin Brady back this year?

Not sure of McQuillan at CHB - haven't seen him in a few years and he was quite young then but hopefully he'll do well. We still look weak in the FB line but good to see Loughrey and Scullion playing and I hope Benny Hasson starts to deliver on his promise too. Gault was good a few years ago so hopefully he will continue to play like that.

Reads like it's been written by that crazy Laurence man of the country web site...

legend 

[aontroim]

Good win today after a poor poor start to the game.  Both midfielders cleaned out in the early stages and taken off pretty quickly, though Antrim never managed a mark for the duration of the game while Derry got several awarded.  Magill was wasteful at times but took his goal really well with a lot of work to do, and also caused plenty of headaches for the derry FB line.  Some great defending in the second half, and overall Antrim should be happy with the performance knowing they can play better than that.  Not sure about G. O'Boyle though he managed to stay on for the whole game he didnt look like much of a scoring threat - when was the last time he played for Cargin?

Hopefully a bit of momentum can be built up after that win, but Down looked decent last night.

[SambaSaffron]

Gerard O'Boyle hasn't played for Cargin in 2-3 years. Strange that he's been called up, didn't look up to it today.