ANTRIM returnee Kevin Niblock says it’s a “long story” why he opted out of last season’s squad - but is “glad to be back” and putting his shoulder to the saffron wheel in 2016.
The St Gall’s clubman has been one of the leading lights in Antrim football over the last seven or eight years and was among a number of key players who didn’t feature for the county team in 2015. Niblock, once on Cliftonville’s books, spent much of last year playing soccer for highly-rated intermediate clubs Newington and Donegal Celtic.
His absence from Antrim’s forward line was keenly felt throughout Frank Fitzsimons’ first season in charge as the Saffrons narrowly missed out on promotion from Division Four of the National League before falling to Fermanagh in the Ulster Championship and in the All-Ireland Qualifiers. He made his return to county colours in last Sunday’s 10-point defeat to Derry at Owenbeg in the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup.
Asked about his one-year sabbatical, the Antrim forward said: “It’s a long story. It was good getting a break and playing a bit of soccer last year.
“I was always playing Gaelic with the club and, even when I started out, I was doing all three [club, county and soccer]. There are different reasons [why I didn’t play for Antrim last year], but I enjoyed playing a bit of soccer. I just like competing in something and it’s Gaelic at the minute. I’ll put everything into it.”
Niblock added: “I’m glad to be back but, under the circumstances, I thought it would have been better against Derry. It’s early in the year and there are a lot of new faces, a new 15.
“I think, if anything, it shows us where we’re at. I think it looked like a Division One/Two team playing a Division Four team. But hopefully we can work on that and build it up towards the end of this month. We have to really focus on our first National League game - against Carlow.
“I suppose we can use excuses: you can say we’ve maybe been in the gym too much and I suppose we looked like a disorganised team, but the management are aware of that. Hopefully the stuff we’ve done [in the gym] will stand to us... because I still think we’ve the footballers there that can get a win or two in the McKenna Cup and build our way into the league.”
Antrim, who face Queen’s in their second McKenna Cup game at the Dub on Wednesday night, are without 11 university-tied players, with Patrick McBride, Niall Delargy, Niall McKeever, Ricky and Martin Johnston among them.
“Derry just looked that bit more organised than us and, obviously, they’re carrying 40 or so players, but we need to up it as it did look like a mismatch at times out there,” said Niblock.
The St Gall’s man, who formed a good understanding with Conor Murray and Mick McCann in the Antrim attack last Sunday, added: “You can get carried away - you have to look at it as a good training session.
"We know, as a group of lads, that the quality is there. Scoreline-wise, we probably let ourselves down a bit. We’re missing some big players for the McKenna Cup - Niall McKeever, Paddy McBride and boys like that. They’ll be working with us throughout the McKenna Cup. It’s our first competitive game and a new team out there and we just have to work hard and get it right.”
