Antrim Football Thread

[JimStynes]

Same old story.

[Minder]

We ran up against a very slick moving Derry who were very sharp for the time of the year. It's obvious they have had the football's out for a few weeks whilst we have been doing heavy gym work.  For that reason alone I'll take scoring 2-12 against them as a plus sign. Our legs will come and we will have better days. A month of legwork or matches will leave us good for the start of the league.

I admire your optimism

[Gold]

What was our team and scorers?

[shawshank]

We ran up against a very slick moving Derry who were very sharp for the time of the year. It's obvious they have had the football's out for a few weeks whilst we have been doing heavy gym work.  For that reason alone I'll take scoring 2-12 against them as a plus sign. Our legs will come and we will have better days. A month of legwork or matches will leave us good for the start of the league.

And what's your excuse for your teams fitness being so poor. With a crap season last year, I would have thought promotion was number one for the season and that means being fit to play football. What might your managers plans be?

[ck]

I ended up travelling with the in laws to this game yesterday. We were pleasantly upbeat given the recent optimism driven by a new county board.

I noted also with interest that Antrim were playing with what would appear to be a full strength team with all of their key players back. That has to be a very big positive. On the playing side I was very disappointed. They were a long long way behind Derry and actually looked significantly less fit and strong than Derry, surprising given all the talk about the work going on with Brian Magee etc. Lets hope ye lads can improve enough to make a push for Div 4 promotion.

If any of you were at the game could you enlighten me as to the antrim gameplan/tactics? It totally confused me and those with me. There didn't seem to be an obvious pattern of play and based on what I could hear from the Antrim management there was conflicting instructions to players!

[bannside]

Our plans Shawshank are to get out of division four and have a proper crack at Fermanagh in the summer. I'm confident we can achieve both. That's when things are measured - not the first week of January.  Derry are off to a flyer there's no doubt about that. Good bet for some early league points? 

[MoChara]

What was our team and scorers?

Derry: E McNicholl; K McKaigue, D McBride, J Morgan; L McGoldrick (1-0), C McKaigue, D Heavron (0-2); E Bradley (0-1), C McAtamney; C McFaul (0-1), J Kielt (0-2, 0-1 free), E Lynn (0-2); E McGuckin (0-1), R Bell (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees), S Heavron (2-1)

Subs: O Duffy for J Morgan (40), N Loughlin (0-1) for S Heavron (40), C Bradley (0-1) for J Kielt (46), M Lynch for S McGuckin (46), S McGahon for C McAtamney (55), N Forrester for L McGoldrick (61)

Yellow cards: J Morgan (10), C McKaigue (60)

Antrim: C Kerr; K O'Boyle, C Burke, J McGreevy; J Crozier, J Lavery, M Heinze; J Carron, S McVeigh; C Duffin, C Murray (0-1), M Sweeney; B Neeson (0-5 frees), M McCann (0-3 frees), K Niblock Subs: T McCann (2-0) for J Lavery (15), J Dowling (0-1) for S McVeigh (26), P Gallagher for B Neeson (52), C Fleming (0-2 frees) for M Heinze (58)

Yellow cards: K Niblock (10)

Black cards: C Kerr replaced by R Hanna (42)

Referee: N McKenna (Monaghan)

[Two Hands FFS]

I genuinely can't believe people complaining about a teams fitness in the first weekend in January. That's the big problem with Gaelic Football. Too concerned about fitness & not about how the team go about playing/scoring.

[imtommygunn]

At least we have the first step of getting our best players out. It was worrying how much we were *apparently* cleaned out at midfield though yesterday as I'm not sure that would be Derry's first choice midfield.

I don't know how much to read into it at this time of year. Derry regularly have our number. I guess we'll know better after the carlow game.

[themac_23]

At least we have the first step of getting our best players out. It was worrying how much we were *apparently* cleaned out at midfield though yesterday as I'm not sure that would be Derry's first choice midfield.

I don't know how much to read into it at this time of year. Derry regularly have our number. I guess we'll know better after the carlow game.

Niall McKeever going to be available for NFL? that would prob sort our problem out at midfield i would think.

[bannside]

I'd say that will be Derry midfield. Patsy Bradley and Fergal Doc retired and only Niall Holly as their other option.

In contrast we have NMK and Sean Burke to enter the equation for us. Early days and when we get our NFL team together we will be ok.

[glensgael]

With the first CC meeting due this month what's the thoughts on the proposal to change the grading format from that put forward last year and that the top 4 of Div 1 football & hurling for 2015 are graded not the four semi finalists. . If the proposal goes through it would mean that two of the semi finalists in lasts championship that aren't in the top four aren't graded. Similar in the hurling that one team that didn't make the semi finals will be graded. Seems that the proposal will benefit one club in both championships..

[country bumpkin]

Please explain glensgael...............seeding?

[glensgael]

country bumpkin, as hardstation has mentioned both senior football and hurling were seeded for financial reasons and they balls it up by fixing two seeded teams St Galls & Cargin agaisnst each other.

[Milltown Row2]

Glensgael, what is the proposal this year?

Is it based on league positions or how they finish in championship the past year?