Hurling & Camogie

Antrim aiming to bounce back against Wexford in vital NHL clash

Antrim boss Darren Gleeson says he should have rotated his squad more before the Dublin clash Picture: Seamus Loughran
Antrim boss Darren Gleeson says he should have rotated his squad more before the Dublin clash Picture: Seamus Loughran Antrim boss Darren Gleeson says he should have rotated his squad more before the Dublin clash Picture: Seamus Loughran

Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B: Antrim v Wexford (Today, Corrigan Park, 3pm)

ANTRIM hurling boss Darren Gleeson has admitted he should have rotated his squad more following the morale-sapping defeat to Dublin – but has seen more players’ hands go up to stake a claim for a place ahead of today’s vital Division 1B clash with Wexford at Corrigan Park.

Unsurprisingly, the Saffrons have found the going in the top flight increasingly tough after a brilliant opening win over Clare on May 9.

And even though they suffered back-to-back defeats to Kilkenny and Dublin – both away – Antrim are still in control of their own destiny if they can pull off another Division 1B upset against Davy Fitzgerald’s men who are still smarting from their Kilkenny defeat last time out.

“I would be happy with two-thirds of our League campaign,” said Gleeson, who suffered only his first defeat as Antrim manager against Kilkenny last month.

“Obviously I wasn’t happy coming away from the Dublin game. It’s a step up in levels, it’s a step up in physicality. I thought we handled it well in the first two days [against Clare and Kilkenny], but I think we should have used the squad a bit more going into the Dublin game. I suppose we were comfortable with what people were doing.

“In the Dublin game we lacked energy; it lacked what we’ve been trying to do since we came in, whatever it is now, 18 or 19 months. It was the first time we looked bereft of ideas. But, look, we could put that down to tiredness and probably just an overload.”

Only for the goalkeeping heroics of Ryan Elliott, Antrim would have shipped a far heavier defeat than eight points a fortnight ago.

Since that loss Gleeson gave run-outs to a host of his squad in last Friday night’s McGurk Cup match with Down.

Mattie Donnelly and Aodhan O’Brien are back in contention, while Shea Shannon of St John’s did “really well” and run-outs were given to Aaron Crawford, Nicky McKeague and Niall O’Connor against the Ardsmen as the Antrim manager mulls over his options.

Gleeson said: “I was really happy to look at players last Friday night because when you take it that we’ve got eight new guys in the panel and we’ve little information on them at this level, so it gives you a chance to look at others because when you’re training for five or six weeks but three of those you’re in match mode it’s very difficult for a few players coming into a settled group.

“It gave us a real chance to drill into those lads and I thought a lot of them put their hand up, lads who have been consistently in our 22 or 23, so they give us a lot more options going into the Wexford game which is great.”

If the Antrim team-sheet is to be believed there is no Conor McCann, Domhnall Nugent or Michael Bradley in the 26-man squad with Eoin O'Neill and Conor Johnston named to start in a rejigged attack.

While there was much celebration after edging out Clare at Corrigan Park last month, Gleeson insists a repeat of that display won’t get them over the line against Wexford.

“I wouldn’t say we’d be looking to replicate that performance because I wasn’t very pleased with the start against Clare in Corrigan,” said Tipp’s All-Ireland winning goalkeeper.

“Now, there were pleasing aspects of it but if we give Wexford the space that we gave Clare in those first 20-25 minutes, I think it would be gone. Against Clare, I’d be only happy with 10 or 12 minutes of that first half.

“We’d need to get a foothold in the game for more than 15 or 20 minutes – we need to relevant in games for longer periods of time.”