With a new man in charge, getting out of Division Four is Antrim’s primary objective for the year ahead.
John Martin talks to Cargin star Michael McCann...
EVERY underachieving cliche in the book has been levelled at Antrim footballers over the past 50-plus years. The long-suffering Saffron faithful are fed up with the untapped potential remaining untapped, and the sleeping giant remaining asleep.
Very few of the present day Casement Park faithful were around when Antrim last lifted the Anglo-Celt back in 1951, and in the intervening years they’ve had more false dawns than managers – and there’s been quite a few of those. Indeed, since 1990 there’s been 11 different men at the Saffron helm.
This year another new manager has taken the reigns. Derry native Liam Bradley is the latest man to try and awaken Antrim from its slumber. Another dawn for Antrim football, whether it’s a false one or not remains to be seen.
Midfielder Michael McCann isn’t making any rash predictions. The 23-year-old Cargin clubman has been one of Antrim’s most consistent players for the past two seasons, and is refreshingly grounded in his assessment of where Antrim are in football’s pecking order.
Unrealistic goals don’t help the Antrim cause, and should McCann start dreaming of Clones or Croke, he needs only think of last year’s League campaign to bring him back down to earth.
Antrim are the only Ulster side in Division Four – just like last year. As well as carrying the ignominy of that particular distinction, it also means long trips to places like Kilkenny and Waterford to play in front of crowds that barely reach three figures.
After six of their eight League games last season, they looked a shoo-in for promotion. They were unbeaten, top of the table, and only needed a point from two games against Tipperary and Waterford to secure their passage to Division Three. Better than that, their final game was at home to the Decies.
They lost both. Imagine, they needed a point from a home game against Waterford to secure promotion and they couldn’t do it. It doesn’t get any lower than that.
“We were unbeaten for six on the trot and I suppose a bit of complacency set in,” said McCann.
“We thought ‘this is it, we’re up’ and then we went down to Tipperary, it was a tight game and we ended up coming out on the wrong side of it. They were a hungry team on a tight pitch, and they came out on top by three points.
“In the last game there was a lot of pressure on. People kept thinking ‘if we get beat here, we’re staying down’ and if you think about getting beat, nine times out of 10, you do get beat.
“When that happened, it didn’t put us in good stead for the Championship.”
The Championship outing was against Cavan, and while they never really looked like winning, they lost by five points to the Breffnimen at Casement Park and the gap would have been less had it not been for some horrendous shooting.
Four players walked away afterwards, including captain Sean Kelly, disillusioned with their failure to secure promotion and yet another early Anglo-Celt exit.
Whether influenced by last season or not, McCann is setting a relatively modest target for this year.
“Promotion. We need promotion. That would be progress for me. I think if we’d got promotion last year, we’d have beaten Cavan. We were flying, and when we didn’t get promoted, the heads were down and the confidence was away,” he said.
This year’s Championship outing against Donegal has barely registered on his radar yet.
He added: “Promotion, and maybe getting a bit of a run in the back door, but we’ll deal with the Championship when it comes round. You never know what you’re going to get with Donegal.
“At Ballybofey, they are going to be odds-on favourites, and rightly so. They will be a tough team to beat, but we will prepare the best way we can.”
After their League disappointment last year, Antrim – like all Division Four sides – were shepherded into the Tommy Murphy Cup. Antrim won it, beating Wicklow at Croke Park. It didn’t make the season a success but, for Antrim’s footballers, even playing a game at Croke Park is a landmark occasion.
“People have different views on the Tommy Murphy Cup, but at the end of the day, Sligo were in it and they were Connacht champions the year before. Wicklow were also in it, and they had beaten Kildare, who went on to an All-Ireland quarter-final,” said McCann.
“I know it’s only the Tommy Murphy Cup, but I honestly believe it’s a stepping stone and I think we’re going in the right direction and hopefully we can push on this year.
“It was a great opportunity to get playing at Croke Park and finally win a game there. When we got there, the only thing in my mind was to go out and win it, and when we did win, it was great. But getting out of Division Four is our main priority. It has to be.
“No disrespect to anybody, but we aren’t going to get any better playing in Division Four.”
Jody Gormley stepped down as manager a week after the Murphy Cup win. Former Derry selector Bradley was ratified as his replacement in October, and brought with him fellow Oak Leafer Niall Conway as trainer.
‘The Baker’ has overseen three Gaelic Life McKenna Cup games – against Armagh, Cavan and Queens – and is still looking for his first win as Saffron boss.
“Liam and Niall have a good head for football. They are bringing in a bit of belief, and they are putting a bit of drive into the players,” continued McCann.
“Obviously, the last game wasn’t great against Queen’s, who beat us by 19 points, but we went out and experimented with players and positions and they were flying fit as they had an extra three or four months’ training – so I wouldn’t read too much into that game.
“Liam isn’t letting boys away with petty excuses. There’s three weeks of training gone and there’s not a day after training that I haven’t been aching. He really is driving boys on.
“It’s early doors yet, but I think he’ll do a good job.”
The long-suffering Saffron faithful certainly hope so.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE FORM 1998/99-2008
THE VERDICT
ANTRIM need to put last year’s disappointment behind them and build on the relative success of the Tommy Murphy Cup.
The eight-game Division Four provides the Saffrons with four home and four away games. The luck of the draw has favoured Antrim, and they play their two biggest rivals, Sligo and Wicklow, at Casement Park.
There are undoubtedly some games that Liam Bradley’s side can expect to win comfortably. Kilkenny and London should again prove to be the also-rans, although Clare and Carlow are unlikely to roll over as easily as they did in 2008.
Previous manager Jody Gormley worked hard on plugging the gaps in a porous defence last season, and Antrim conceded just three goals in their eight League games last year.
A similar record would go a long way to securing a top-two spot and Division Three status next year. Missing from the Antrim rearguard this year will be Sean Kelly and Andrew McLean, although the St Galls duo will join the panel after the League campaign.
Kelly’s class and vision will be missed, but promotion from the basement division should still come down to three sides – Antrim, Sligo and Wicklow.
Sligo and Leitrim are the sides that came down last year, and Micky Moran’s new charges can’t be ruled out either.
Offaly won Division Four last year on 13 points, Tipp had 12 and Antrim 11. This year is likely to be just as close and, Kilkenny and London aside, Antrim will not be expecting to win any games by huge margins. The opening game against Wicklow could prove a pivotal fixture – defeat at home to Mick O’Dwyer’s side and Bradley’s men are already under pressure.
Some bookmakers have Antrim as favourites, some have Sligo as front runners.
Either way, if Antrim have any ambition at all, they have to expect to claim a place in Division Three for 2010.
2009 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PANEL
Colin Brady, Kevin Brady, Sean Burke, Paddy Carey, Liam Carlin, Ciaran Close, Justin Crozier, Paddy Cunningham, Paul Conon, Mark Dougan, Aaron Douglas, Dara Edwards, John Finucane, Aodhan Gallagher, Benny Hasson, James Loughery, David McAlernon, Dermot McCann, Michael McCann, Tomas McCann, Conor McGourty, Sean McGreevy, Kevin McQuillan, Sean McVeigh, Conor Murray, Kevin Niblock, Kevin O’Boyle, Neil O’Connell, Deaghlan O’Hagan, Michael Pollock, Tony Scullion
THE NEW BREED
WITH so many young players in the Antrim squad, 70 per cent of them could come under the ‘new breed’ label.
Manager Liam Bradley named three different captains for the McKenna Cup games, two of whom, Aodhan Gallagher (pictured) and Sean McVeigh, are just 23-years-old.
Antrim had a total of 12 players on duty with the university sides this month. That’s probably more than the previous 10 years put together, and in the case of Tomas McCann, Paddy Cunningham, Justin Crozier and James Loughery, they know how to win at the highest level.
All four players have picked up Sigerson Cup medals in the past two years.
Michael McCann, a cousin of Tomas, picked up a Hogan Cup medal with St Patrick’s, Maghera in 2003. These are players who should not carry any inferiority complex into the county arena.
Antrim have a number of exciting young forwards. Cunningham, Tomas McCann, CJ McGourty and Kevin Niblock are all 23 or younger.
At the back, Ballymena man McVeigh, after tasting county football at half-back, midfield and half-forward last season, looked assured at full-back in the McKenna Cup and could be the answer to a problem position for the Saffrons.
Another young talent, Dermot McCann, who captained the county minors at full-back in 2007, has been drafted into the panel for the National League campaign.
2008 Ulster Senior Football Championship Preliminary round: Antrim 1-14 Cavan 1-19
Tommy Murphy Cup First round: Antrim 1-10 Carlow 0-11
Semi-final: Antrim 1-19 London 0-13
Final: Antrim 3-12 Wicklow 1-15
National Football League
Division Four
Rd 1: Antrim v Wicklow (Sunday, February 1);
Rd 2: Kilkenny v Antrim (Saturday, February 7);
Rd 3: Antrim v Clare (Saturday, February 14);
Rd 4: Leitrim v Antrim (Sunday, March 8);
Rd 5: Carlow v Antrim (Sunday, March 15);
Rd 6: Antrim v London (Saturday, March 21);
Rd 7: Antrim v Sligo (Saturday, March 28);
Rd 8: April 11/12, bye;
Rd 9: Waterford v Antrim (Saturday, April 18)
2009 Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-final (Ballybofey):
Donegal v Antrim (Sunday, June 14)
Winners to play Cavan, Fermanagh or Down in the semi-final
Promotion key to waking Saffrons from deep sleep
EVERY underachieving cliche in the book has been levelled at Antrim footballers over the past 50-plus years. The long-suffering Saffron faithful are fed up with the untapped potential remaining untapped, and the sleeping giant remaining asleep.
Antrim
Armagh
Cavan
Derry
Donegal
Down
Fermanagh
Monaghan
Tyrone
