Football

Louth victory could be a turning point in Antrim's fortunes: Ryan Murray

Ryan Murray gets his marching orders seconds after winning it for Antrim Picture: Seamus Loughran.
Ryan Murray gets his marching orders seconds after winning it for Antrim Picture: Seamus Loughran. Ryan Murray gets his marching orders seconds after winning it for Antrim Picture: Seamus Loughran.

MATCH-WINNER Ryan Murray hopes the gutsy and composed manner of last weekend’s last-gasp NFL victory over Louth is the sign of things to come for Antrim this season.

Trailing by two points with five minutes of normal time remaining, Antrim conjured three stoppage-time points to claim a dramatic opening win in Division Four, with Murray hitting the decisive score.

“Maybe that’s the changing of the wheel,” said the Lamh Dhearg clubman.

“Over the past few years we’d concede a goal and our heads would go down and we couldn’t battle back into it. But we showed a bit of fight to get the win, so hopefully that’s a bit of a turning point for the rest of the year.”

Murray was in top form down in Dundalk, hitting six points (four frees) in Antrim’s 1-15 to 3-8 win as they now prepare for Sunday’s home tie with Tony McEntee’s Sligo who posted an impressive win of their own at home to Leitrim.

Murray was posted at right wing-forward rather than his more familiar full-forward role – but the move worked a treat for the player and new manager Enda McGinley.

“I’d play anywhere but playing out is a bit of a change because I’ve been playing inside for the last few years. In the first half I struggled and couldn’t get on a lot of ball but in the second half the game opened up a bit more and I got a bit of space, more than I’d maybe get inside.”

In the closing stages, Murray was sent off after picking up black and yellow cards.

“I was so confused at the end why I was booked again,” he said. “I was trying to ask the ref and the linesman and he said it was the linesman from the other wing that got me booked.”