ANTRIM manager Enda McGinley has said that he feels a great responsibility to meet the expectations of his players.

This year there was an expectation on Antrim to gain promotion out of Division Four after failing to do so in the previous three seasons. Yet McGinley said that he knew from the start that his players had the commitment and drive to do so, so the question was whether he could meet their expectations.

“The most heartening thing was that at the start of the year we delved into why they wanted to be there and give the commitments to perform to the level of a county squad.

“The response was to gain the county a level of respect. That was unanimous across the squad. They all gave their feedback personally to me. The similarity of response was clear to me. That was a powerful weapon because they were all yearning and all driving for the same thing. They were driving for something bigger than themselves.

“It is very easy to come in from somewhere outside Antrim and question them. But when you see that it came back with some strength, the pressure was on me to make sure we give everything to these boys that they can fulfil the things that they aspire to. That was a big responsibility to us as a management team to respond to the players.”

They successfully earned promotion this year, so how come it didn’t happen in previous years? McGinley said that perhaps a few things went differently for Antrim.

“We got rubs of the green this year probably. We got up. Every team is different. There have been teams that I have been on where everything has been right, and you know everything is right, and yet you come out on the wrong side of that white line and a new manager comes in and whatever happens you get to that right side.

“There are any number of reasons why it didn’t happen. Sometimes it is player availability, sometimes it is a wee bit of luck. Sometimes, it is injuries or narrow games. Then there are how teams manage the Covid situation. There are 101 reasons why a team doesn’t achieve.”

They will be hoping to continue their achievements next week when they take on Armagh in Ulster.

15 May 2021; Antrim manager Enda McGinley prior to the Allianz Football League Division 4 North Round 1 match between Louth and Antrim at Geraldines Club in Haggardstown, Louth. Photo by Ramsey CardySportsfile