Mark Sweeney said that he is hoping to do whatever he can to help Antrim this season.

Sweeney, who plays his club football for St Jude’s in Dublin,  was contacted by Lenny Harbinson recently and was asked to join the panel.

Sweeney had thought that he was going to miss a season with the county, as he had stepped away to handle life challenges.

“I didn’t want to leave last year, but after three games all the travelling was weighing on me.

“We had lost a few games in the league and we didn’t have anything to play for which made it hard to mentally commit. I was glad to be able to get involved this year. The boys have got us in a good place and in the running for promotion. I am riding on the back of that a wee bit.”

Sweeney was playing with St Jude’s and they got knocked out of the championship five weeks ago. He’d already been asked if he wanted to rejoin the Antrim squad and he agreed. He had one day after losing and then returned to training. He’s been with the squad for five weeks.

“It was a surprise and a bonus to be asked back. I am enjoying getting to training early and not having to run away early.

“I think Lenny always keeps an eye out on the games. I didn’t expect him to call because the lads had done great work to get into promotion contention. I thought that that was it and it was a closed panel.

“I also think that no one could see that working from home becoming a constant. As soon as it changed I was very keen.”

Sweeney is employed with a company based in Dublin, that works with a company that facilitates the renting, purchasing and buying of airplanes, an industry that is going strong in the capital. But the pandemic has allowed him to work more from Belfast, and that meant that he had more time to give Antrim.

“Any invitation that you get into a panel you take it with both hands as long as work allows it. When I stepped away from the panel I was stepping into this new job with aircraft leasing.”

Now life has settled down off the pitch he can focus on football.

“I am joining the team without any expectation of winning a place. The lads who are there have been playing a system for 18 months, and they are coming back off the end of last year when they had a couple of good results.

“They know the system really well. At the same time there is a huge amount of athleticism in that panel. It would be unrealistic for me to think that I could win a place. I am just coming in to see if I can add value somewhere, whether that is in training, or commenting on something, anything. You want to play, no one is going to be happy not getting minutes but you have to be realistic.”

With regards his own fitness he says he is okay.

“I wouldn’t let myself down. St Jude’s got to the semi-final of the senior championship in Dublin, so fitness levels have to be very high for that.”