ANTRIM got their tactics wrong and showed Cavan too much respect in their Ulster quarter-final, says Paddy Cunningham, but the former Saffron scoring machine expects much better from his county in the Tailteann Cup.
Enda McGinley’s Antrim side were expected to push Cavan all the way at Corrigan Park in their Anglo-Celt opener but they faded after Michael McCann, Cunningham’s former team-mate at minor and senior level, was sent off. The Breffnimen cantered home by 13 points and Cunningham says the home side’s issues stemmed from being “too regimented” in their gameplan.
“Tactically we were probably too regimented in the first half when we had the breeze,” he said.
“It was a nervy, tentative start and we didn’t go at Cavan enough, we probably showed them far too much respect, particularly with the wind behind us.
“The stats don’t lie. Cavan scored 1-13 with the wind and Antrim scored 0-6 and that was a large part of the difference between the teams. But the boys have a couple of weeks’ off now back at their clubs and we’ll see where they go in the Tailteann Cup. I did feel that there was a lot more in Antrim and Cavan came and probably bullied Antrim for a large part of the game which was disappointing.
“I’m only away a year and I know the lads have put so much time and effort into preparing and I know their performance wasn’t reflective of what they’re capable of but it’s Ulster Championship football and there’s no second chance. It was disappointing that the lads didn’t give the performance they were capable of but at the same time you have to appreciate that Cavan came and were strong all over the field. They were Ulster champions two years ago so they’re not a bad team.”
Thanks to their victory, Cavan marched on to Sunday’s Ulster semi-final against Donegal while Antrim must bide their time until the Tailteann Cup begins.
Lamh Dhearg clubman Cunningham was captain of the Antrim side that reached the Ulster final in 2009 and returned to the inter-county scene in 2020 missing six seasons at inter-county level while suffering from the debilitating Crohn’s disease.
Cunningham’s finishing ability and experience would have been very valuable assets for Antrim in the second tier competition but he decided the time had come for him to hang up his boots at the end of a frustrating 2021 season in which he saw very little action.
“Retirement was an easy decision for me to make,” he said.
“I played maybe 30 minutes throughout the whole season. Fair enough, they were important minutes in the League campaign but not to get a run-out against Armagh at all in the Championship was disappointing.
“I’ve no regrets, I put everything into it last year to do my best for the team and thankfully we gained promotion. Obviously it’s been a tough transition from playing to spectating but to be honest I’ve thoroughly enjoy following the boys this year and I’ve went to nearly every game. It was good to have trips away with the family and, as an Antrim man, I’ll support them for the rest of my days.”
