Antrim Football Thread

country bumpkin · September 03, 2016, 09:12:59 AM

Had a look at rule governing senior championship bogieman but I cannot fInd the rule stating, 'Games involving Cargin must be played on a Friday evening no earlier than 8.00pm'.
Replay scheduled for Ahoghill Friday at 8.00pm again when Sunday would be available and most certainly will ensure a lot of kids will not be in attendance.

bannside · September 03, 2016, 09:16:57 AM

More championship games today. Three of the big city teams involved so I wonder will there be the same large gate and atmosphere as last night.

Portglenone usually bring a good crowd with them but St Galls beat us by 18 points in the league so is there any point in turning up at all?

stiffler · September 03, 2016, 09:22:40 AM

Quote from: bannside on September 03, 2016, 09:16:57 AM
More championship games today. Three of the big city teams involved so I wonder will there be the same large gate and atmosphere as last night.

Portglenone usually bring a good crowd with them but St Galls beat us by 18 points in the league so is there any point in turning up at all?

How much did Cargin beat Creggan by in the league a matter of weeks ago

imtommygunn · September 03, 2016, 09:34:11 AM

Bs are peter and paul mccann still playing? Peter must be over 40 now.

Good to see creggan make a game of it. They have some handy footballers but just hadn't transitioned to senior yet. Hopefully this is the start of it and there will be more than 2 genuine contenders for the championship every year.

bannside · September 03, 2016, 10:11:00 AM

Aye ITG. Peter McCann would be 40 now and still playing really well. Paul has bad knees so popped into goals a few years back and been there ever since. Turned out a great keeper.

My own playing days were with All Saints and apart from great memories of going from Division 5 to Division 1 and winning junior, intermediate and several O Cahan Cups I still have a lot of time for them.

I couldn't help but think during last night's game, that with 45 to 50 minutes gone, Ballymena were giving St John's their total fill of it. The unusual thing about that was that over the last 10 years all we saw was St John's clean up feile, underage, minor, under 21 titles galore, and Ballymena wouldnt even have been on their radar. But at senior level it took the loss of Snowey Mc Veigh from injury before St John's could put any daylight between them.

Just an observation that often juvenile success often translates to nothing.

imtommygunn · September 03, 2016, 10:18:06 AM

Cheers bs. Yeah it is good to see ballymena back doing well. They now have a great setup and obviously have a lot of work going in.

Underage success helps but is no guarantee of anything. St johns seem to have trouble transitioning underage to senior success in football or hurling at the minute which is a pity as i think a strong st johns would be good for antrim. Maybe rossa stepping up which they seem to be doing will push them on.

country bumpkin · September 03, 2016, 10:53:25 AM

Bannside, would it be possible that your observations on the goings on at Ahoghill last nite were tinged by a little bias?
Your club mate K Madden got his 'match ups' right you say......but hey he sent out the Creggan team in exactly the same positions as they occupied in the league.
Madden's men had a catch and kick tactic and such was correct policy in damp conditions, with Cargin, barring a ten minute period in which they underlined their undoubted capabilities adding 2-4 without reply by delivering quickly and accurately into the front men, but falling into disarray thereafter with just a few of their number producing form.
Did you fail to notice Bannside that Creggan just had a couple of points from play over the hour and how many were carried forward?
Was the equalizing score arriving in the 65th minute really a free or did the big mid fielder take a dive......?
Think your memory is fading a little Bannside.....did the Ballymena men really win 'several' O'Cahan Cups' ??

bannside · September 03, 2016, 01:38:39 PM

Unlike yourself CB I have no allegiance to either club so can only write what I saw. That was one team playing with heart and determination as the other folded. Two weeks ago I said Cargin were untouchable in Antrim, but last night Creggan blew that theory out of the water. It was you guys who were crying out for the whistle.

As regards being biased towards Madden that's a joke. Regardless of whether or not we are from the same club is irrelevant. Last night he got it 99% right and if it had of been 100%, Cargin would be out.

But you're not. And you might regroup and put Creggan lights out ion Friday night. Probably the 16 point hammering you gave them two weeks ago left you complacent and maybe that wont happen again.

But I will call it as I see it no matter who the manager is or the club is. After all its only one opinion.

bannside · September 03, 2016, 01:44:37 PM

Regarding O Cahan Cups. I recall putting a 45 over the bar with the last kick of the game to beat Cargin in a final by a point in late eighties. Can't remember the year. I lost a couple of finals. I think a year or two after I retired Ballymena won another. Some ride from Division 5 starting at Hugomont and all done within 10 years.

So I love to see the town competing well with the like of St John's. When we were growing up you darent wear a GAA shirt in the town. Unbelievable how far All Saints have come and talking to a few of their current stalwarts they have a great crop coming through.

bannside · September 03, 2016, 02:07:08 PM

St Galls 1/16 with Toals. Bad wet oul day maybe we should stay at home lol. Ach sure there's nothing to lose we might as well go. What times it at again?

bannside · September 04, 2016, 03:33:22 AM

Well...we did turn up and gave it a bit of a lash, and had the temerity to go level with ten minutes left.

Credit to St Galls who kicked on using everyour inch of their experience to close out a result.

Down round our way we can deal with that. We would expect to be winning these kind of matches in the next year or two and that should leave us there or thereabouts. All part of a learning curve for us. We will put this one down to experience but it won't be long until we are at the right end of these contests.

Mickey Linden · September 04, 2016, 08:57:47 AM

Good day for Dunloy yesterday with a fine win vs div 1 opposition in aldergrove. Their minor footballers flying high also. With their hurlers out they could give Ulster intermediate a good rattle. If Dunloy were to concentrate on football do you's think they could challenge for senior honours?

Hectic · September 04, 2016, 10:38:46 AM

I think Cargin thought the game was won so eased up and I think they will succeed handy enough in the replay but fair play to Creggan for keeping up an intensity until the end and they deserved their draw.

St Johns I felt weathered a determined Ballymena but in truth it is a game they never looked like losing.

Still think Carbon will be lifting the cup again.

Hectic · September 04, 2016, 10:42:15 AM

Never got to any games yesterday but delighted for Dunloy who always have very talented footballers and a good mentality for big games.

Aghagallon will be favourites but last years experience will ensure Dunloy are strong contenders.

Aldergrove will probably want to keep playing intermediate given they are still a bit off winning at this level.

Hectic · September 04, 2016, 10:48:01 AM

Finally Junior and I strongly fancy Glenravel if they keep their focus. Was at their game with Ardoyne on Thursday and they opened up looking like they were going to blow the opposition away only to go to sleep and found themselves 4 behind early in the second half. They then seemed to give themselves a shake and turned that into a 5 point win with a strong showing in the last 25 mins. Where Antrim will have optimism is that Glenravel have lost a couple of finals recently when fancied but if they show up for the full 60 mins Antrim will not live with them.