Antrim Senior Football Championship final

Cargin v Lamh Dhearg

Sunday, Corrigan Park, 3.30pm

IT WILL take a massive effort for Lamh Dhearg to overcome their semi-final exertions in order to beat Cargin this weekend.

They needed three games to beat Portglenone, including a controversial interruption by chairman Ciaran McCavana to halt the free taking competition after their second match ended in a draw.

Those games will have taken their toll on Lamh Dhearg’s legs.

But Michael Herron believes that they can still upset the odds.

“I am sure that they have aspirations of going on to play in the Ulster club.

“We know that Cargin will have been sitting and watching us. And they will go into this game fresh.

“We have got to get ourselves ready.”

And Lamh Dhearg know now to do that. They are the team that ended the St Gall’s and Cargin dominance in the senior championship after all. But Herron said that Cargin are the team to beat.

“Cargin have really taken on the mantle since that great St Gall’s team faded away.

“But this year there was probably five teams who had aspirations of winning the senior championship.”

Lamh Dhearg beat a few of those teams, Creggan and Portglenone.

Now they are on the brink of making good on goals they made when they last won the title.

“After we won in 2017 we said that one wasn’t enough.

“That was a massive boost for the club. But we have a few boys in the squad who don’t have medals.The hunger is there to get them a medal.

“Hunger will not be an issue. We are hungry for more success. We are not going up there to walk behind the band.”

Herron said his over riding emotion after beating Portglenone on Monday night was relief.

“I’m glad to see the back of that semi-final.

“It was a tough few games. On reflection we should have got the job done on the first day. Our game management let us down.

“And no team should lose on free kicks. I thought they should have played two five minute periods of extra time like they used to do.

“But it could have went either way.”

He said that he felt Lamh Dhearg deserved to win on Monday night.

“The second half was a great team performance.”

The downside is that their preparations for championship will be muted.

“We will get little or no training done. It is about getting mentally and physcallly recovered. We are not going to be running around pitches.

“We have to get the body right for Sunday.”