Preview: Derry fancied to emerge from home derby clash

ULSTER SFC QUARTER FINAL
Derry v Antrim
Saturday, Find Insurance Celtic Park, 5pm

By Michael McMullan

THE last time Derry and Antrim played in the championship, Mick McCann was playing for the Saffrons with Barry Gillis in goals for Derry.

It was the summer of ’07 and Chrissy McKaigue was playing in the minor game.

Gillis and McCann are part of Mark Doran’s management team who will rock up in Derry this weekend.

McKaigue played under Doran in his three seasons as Sleacht Néill manager but is now part of the Derry management ticket under Ciarán Meenagh.

The familiarity doesn’t end there. McKaigue and Paul Bradley were two of Sleacht Néill’s experienced heads as they annexed three Ulster titles.

Ulster Championship 2026: Let the games begin

They’d be walking the same sideline this weekend with Bradley plotted to put the brakes on players he played with Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan, who is set for his 100th senior appearance on Saturday.

Bradley, married to McKaigue’s cousin, was part of Doran’s management in Emmet Park last season and is on board with Antrim this season.

That’s the connections outside the white lines but both teams are coming into Saturday’s showdown after falling short in the promotion chase.

A wobble in Tipperary and a heavy defeat against Longford left Antrim looking a plethora of final round results to fall their way if
they were to step out of Division Four.

After being squeezed out by an impressive Louth performance in Ardee, Derry needed Tyrone to beat Cork. They didn’t.

As Tyrone proved on Sunday, league form doesn’t matter too much but it’s hard to see Derry suffering an ambush.

By the time David Gough throws in the ball on Saturday, Derry will have spent five weeks in the long grass.

Getting Conor Doherty, Eoin McEvoy and Conor McCluskey all back fit will have been a priority.

In terms of performance, defeat always focusses the mind. Derry’s horrors of Louth kicking points in pockets of space will have been visited.

So too will be how Louth clogged the space Ethan Doherty’s incisive cuts into the dangerzone. With a slow buildup, it left Louth’s plan of hitting on the break in the perfect place. And they delivered.

Digging deep

On the plus side, Derry have had the experience of digging to the depths when Kildare had them by the throat in Newbridge.

There was the sheer pressure of needing to beat Tyrone after losing to Meath. This is all money in the bank.

Derry’s variation on their kick-out was the key to bossing the Cork game. Scratch the surface of the Meath defeat and there were glimmers there too.

Before they delve into anything tactical or technical, Meenagh will hope his side have a burning desire to play the game on their own terms.

If they fast forward back to the McKenna Cup, Antrim ran a tight ship for a decent portion of the game.

Had they taken their chances after half-time, they could’ve walked Derry further down the stretch.

Championship is a completely different day’s work but Antrim will mentally need to check into a couple of zones.

BIG CLASH…Antrim hosted Armagh in Corrigan Park last season

They can look back at the level of promise when reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh came to Corrigan Park for last year’s championship opener.

They are short goalkeeper Michael Byrne, Patrick McBride and Dermot McAleese.

It’s now time for new leaders. Marc Jordan and Paddy McAleer are players captain Eoghan McCabe will hope hunker beside him in the trenches this weekend.

There won’t be much Doran and Bradley won’t know about what they’re facing this weekend.

While they won’t say it on the outside, Derry have a golden opportunity to reach another Ulster final. Staying clear of Armagh, Donegal and Tyrone is massive every year.

Meenagh task is to shut out any such noise. Antrim’s plan must be about leaving the Derry players with an uneasy opening quarter.

The back-to-back Ulster titles of 2022 and ’23 are close enough to be an inspiration but bar enough away to leave Derry dining on the best sauce of all – hunger.

This time last year, Antrim gave Armagh plenty to ponder. Saturday could be the same, but’s hard to see Derry not booking a semi-final spot.

Verdict: Derry

LAST MEETING

2026 Dr McKenna Cup Derry 2-16 Antrim 0-7

DERRY pulled clear to see off neighbours Antrim in the first game of the new season.

The home side led 0-9 to 0-7 at half-time with a Paul Cassidy goal opening a gap.

Antrim stuck to Derry for long spells but were wasteful after half-time.

As the Oakleafers took a goal Ruairí Ó Mianáin marked his debut with a late goal.

Derry: R Scullion; C McCluskey (0-1), P McGrogan (0-1), D Baker; S Downey (0-1), G McKinless, M Doherty (0-1); C Doherty (0-1), P Cassidy (1-2, 1tp); J Doherty, M Downey, E Doherty (0-1); N Toner (0-1f), N Loughlin (0-1), L Murray (0-3)

Subs: C McAteer (0-1) for M Downey, S Kearney (0-2) for Loughlin, S Young for J Doherty, R Ó Mianáin (1-0)for S Downey, R Mulholland for Baker, Baker for McCluskey

Antrim: J McNabb (0-2tp); J Morgan, K McCann, J McAuley; G O’Neill, E McCabe, M Jordan (0-1); J Carron, P Finnegan; P McBride (0-1), C Small, T McFerran; P Shivers (0-2f), D McEnhill (0-1), A McErlean

Subs: S O’Neill for Morgan, O Doherty for McFerran, T McCann for C Small, R Hagan for G O’Neill, T Shivers for McErlean, P Bradley for McEnhill, K Small for Carron

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

2026 McKenna Cup: Derry 2-16 Antrim 0-7
2019 NFL Div 4: Antrim 1-9 Derry 1-10
2016 McKenna Cup: Derry 4-17 Antrim 2-11
2013 McKenna Cup: Derry 1-13 Antrim 1-13
2011 NFL Div 2: Antrim 0-13 Derry 1-18

SEASON SO FAR

DERRY

NFL
Derry 1-13 Meath 0-9
Derry 1-15 Tyrone 1-12
Kildare 1-18 Kildare 3-15
Derry 2-25 Offaly 0-8
Derry 1-31 Cork 0-14
Derry 0-18 Louth 1-19
Derry 1-20 Cavan 0-19

ANTRIM

NFL
Antrim 1-15 Carlow 2-16
Tipperary 1-13 Antrim 1-9
Antrim 1-14 Longford 1-27
Antrim 2-20 Leitrim 1-15
Antrim 2-18 Wicklow 1-14
Antrim 4-18 Waterford 0-11
Antrim 0-18 London 1-14

TOP SCORERS

DERRY
Shane McGuigan 1-43 (11f, 4tpf, 2tp)
Niall Loughlin 2-19 (2tp, 3f, 1tpf)
Paul Cassidy 2-14 (4tp)

ANTRIM
Dominic McEnhill 0-32 (7tp, 3tpf, 5f)
Pat Shivers 1-18 (6f, 3tp)
Ryan McQuillan 2-10